


colors

by ellixtpage



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Male Character, Do not post to another site, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Know What You're Thinking But Give This a Chance, LGBTQ Character, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Nonbinary Character, Other, Outer Space, Pansexual Character, Plot Twists, Romance, Side Characters Get Attention Too, Slow Burn, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26456686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellixtpage/pseuds/ellixtpage
Summary: "You're a Crewmate. I'm an Impostor. You can't mix fire with ice.""But we can always try, can't we?""...Yeah. We can always try."Where the world's best Crewmate falls in love with the world's most dangerous Impostor, and learns that the world she thought she knew so well isn't as great as it seems.[ COMPLETED! ]*NO PART OF THIS WORK MAY BE REDISTRIBUTED ANYWHERE. DO NOT POST TO ANOTHER SITE. DO NOT CLAIM AS YOUR OWN. DO NOT WRITE A SPIN-OFF.*
Relationships: Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Green/Orange (Among Us), Pink/White (Among Us)
Comments: 342
Kudos: 1188





	1. Monochrome in a Colorful World

**Author's Note:**

> hi! before we begin, this fanfic contains strong language at times, violence, death, blood, and murder.
> 
> this fic is completed! here is my [twitter](https://twitter.com/veeinnit?s=21) as well :)
> 
> enjoy!

Lying and deceiving. 

Ever since he was born, that was all White was ever told he was good for. They were the first words his mother ever uttered to him, when she held him in her arms, a soft lullaby playing from a broken radio in the background. She was smiling wide, her features wrinkled, eyes bright. That was the happiest White had ever seen her, and at that time, he was only a year old. He loved being in her arms. She usually told him stories of when she would infiltrate different ships, talking about her different killing techniques, but White ignored that they were gruesome, and instead enjoyed her voice. 

Until she said those words, the ones that rang in White's head for the rest of his life. "Lying and deceiving," she had said softly, and his eyes opened just slightly. "That's all I was ever good for, and it's all you'll ever be good for as well." At the time, he didn't know what she meant. He closed his eyes again, mumbling incoherently, little white feet kicking in the air. His mother was smiling; that was all that mattered.

When he was fourteen, he heard the news. A Crewmate named Pink had brutally murdered his mother, who was an impostor on the ship. His mother had tried to enter a vent, and Pink spotted it, calling an emergency meeting. They all fought for a long, long, time before Pink pulled out a knife, breaking one of the first rules of their world. She was forgiven, because of course she was. It escalated from there. White never wanted to hear the details. All he knew was that his mother was gone, and he was alone in the world. 

At that time, he was at a point in his life where he could choose what he wanted to be. It was two days away from his fifteenth birthday, the day he would be asked and then sent on to a whole new life. Did he want to help the world and be a Crewmate, or did he want to help control the population and be an Impostor? He remembers clicking the 'Impostor' button without hesitation, tears in his eyes, his mother's words echoing in his head. "Lying and deceiving are all you'll be good for." 

White and his mother didn't always get along. She wanted him to be an Impostor no matter what, training and conditioning him to hate the crewmates. It worked for awhile, until he saw the TV screens when he walked down the street. Photos and videos of award ceremonies for the iconic Crewmates, a group of 10 different colors who had defeated every single Impostor that came their way. They were part of Inner Inc., a popular company that many aspiring Crewmates dreamed to get into. It took hard work and training.

"I want to be up there with them," he had mumbled to himself, unable to look away from the screen, listening as another White- just like him- stood on that stage, talking about their latest riddance of an Impostor. He wanted to be that white. He wanted to be a good person who helped others, and for the rest of his time as a child, he refused to listen to his mother. He was good for more than lying and deceiving; he kept telling himself that his mother was wrong, she wasn't telling the truth, he could really be somebody.

That fantasy died two days before his fifteenth birthday. He tore up his photos of The Inner Inc. Crewmates, he burned his posters, screamed into nothingness. He stared at the last remains of the crew; a photo frame of Pink, sitting on his nightstand. He picked up and threw it on the ground, disgusted that he ever thought they were good people. The Impostors were doing the real work here. And at that moment, he vowed that he would get revenge on Pink, and become the best Impostor the world had ever seen.

Pink had other plans.

──

"Is it just me, or is it getting really hot in here?" Orange asks, tugging at the sleeves of their suit. Green adjusts his glasses and gives Orange a dirty look, and Yellow does the same. Orange groans. "I'm not lying this time! It really is getting way too hot in this suit."

Pink pats them on the shoulder. "I hope you cool down! Don't worry, soon we'll be in space." She gives Orange a bright smile before pulling her helmet on, face no longer visible. Orange can't help but smile. Pink always to cheer everyone up. She walks up to the door of the ship, counting the people in front of her. She grins, though nobody can actually see it. "I see the Impostor is already among us. Another day, another job, another Impostor kicked out. You should be scared. Nobody ever gets past us!" She says confidently, practically sparkling.

White shifts uncomfortably where he's standing. He was given time to study Inner Inc.'s White and find out more about him, but he isn't sure if that'll be enough. This isn't his first time doing this; he lost track of how many Crewmates he's defeated after the 100th time. He tries to stand the same way the report he was given said White always stands. Pink doesn't seem to suspect him, turning and confidently entering the ship.

He recites the rules in his head as he enters the ship; he always does. He isn't allowed to kill anyone until they've reached Space. Nobody can talk during that time, either. He's mapped out what he's planning to do in his head; take out the weak link first, then move on, and hope that nobody catches him. He can't be seen in a vent, either; it's prohibited for Crewmates to enter vents. If he's caught doing it and they suspect him...

'Relax, man!' He yells in his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he feels the ship begin to rise. He's grateful his helmet is masking his absurd facial expressions. The weapons in his suit are heavy. He takes in a breath of air; the ship continues to rise. He sits as still as he possibly can. He knows the others are probably noticing how off he's acting. He's always been a straight-faced kind of killer, never getting nervous. But this is different. Inner Inc. has defeated over 50,000 Impostors, never being defeated, not even once. What's going to be different about him?

The ride to Space is short, almost too short, and White's anxiety only worsens. They all step off the ship, entering a bigger one that's waiting on the moon. The Crewmates are given broken ships to fix; if they manage to fix it before they're killed, they win. They all enter, and a nearby employee holding a camera sets them into a single-file line. The camera starts.

"Hey, viewers! Welcome to another episode of Inner Inc.'s Crewmates. Let's let the episode begin." White has watched the show far too many times. He knows what's going to come next, the words he's heard repeated multiple times. He always dreamed of hearing them in person. But he always dreamed of being a Crewmate.

'Things don't always go as planned,' he thinks, his mothers image clear in his head.

"Thank's for tuning in tonight, folks." A pause. "Tonight, there is one Impostor among us."

And so it starts.

──

Anyone who's ever seen an episode of Inner Inc. knows that Pink always goes for the reactor room first. It's been this way since the first episode, because no matter what, the first task on her list is always to start the reactor. Usually, the ships they're given are more broken down, for an added challenge. After the first hundred wins, people realized that Inner Inc. was different. These Crewmates weren't like the others. Pink was their mascot; she had guessed who the Impostor was correctly more times than White could count. Sure, the others were good, but nobody could guess quite like Pink. It was almost like she had a sixth sense. At first, people even thought she had something implanted into her helmet; that theory was quickly disproved when an Impostor ripped off her helmet after being voted out, violating a rule, but proving she was for real. The other colors didn't exactly have a strategy like Pink, but they'd been doing this for years, and knew what to do. 

White, however, was different. In the past few years since he was fifteen, he'd worked hard, and none of the Crewmates he faced had ever actually won against him. It was the best against the best, but they couldn't mention this in front of Inner Inc. without spoiling which color was the Impostor. With them all in the ship, however, the camera crew quickly excitedly announced what was happening. White ignored the pit of nervousness in his stomach.

"Yellow!" Pink said, voice low. It was important not to trust anyone, but Blue was in the next room over and could report if Yellow was the Impostor. Pink knew how to fight, as well. The Impostor wasn't actually encouraged to kill anyone; they're told to 'take them down.' Some Impostors were nice, some were brutal murderers. Whichever the Impostor was, Pink knew she could take them down. She learned how to fight a long time ago. 

Yellow trotted over cautiously, eyeing Pink up and down, keeping a distance. He was holding a box of wires; probably finishing up fixing the electricity. Pink let out a breath. "Hey, I'm nervous. I always have a lead before the game starts; this time, I have no idea." It wasn't a lie. Even when she inspected everyone on the ship, they all looked the same. Everyone acted the same way they usually do. Hell, even Orange mentioned something that only someone in their crew could know. Unless they watched the bloopers of Inner Inc. Pink feels her head start to hurt and slaps herself lightly.

"Uh, I'm not too sure, Pink," Yellow says tentatively. He takes a step back. "Hey, I'll keep an eye out, alright?" Pink notes the way he gets nervous; it's the same way he always does. Her suspicion of Yellow lessens, but then again, anybody could be it. She doesn't know hard the Impostor has studied her crew. She turns back to the reactor and starts working on it, watching over her shoulder carefully to make sure nobody sneaks up on her.

By the time she's finished the reactor, White has managed to kill Teal and Purple. He sneaks up on them, the two of them working on fixing the electricity. He'd also managed to deplete the oxygen once, watching from afar as Black and Orange rushed to fix it. Unfortunately, they managed to repair it with more than fifteen seconds to spare, and White realized his usual tactics wouldn't work now. He had to think outside of the box. These people weren't the ones he was used to; they'd been given every award under the sun and had never lost, not once.

He realizes he's already done something different; he killed two people. The most that had ever been killed was many, many, seasons ago, and it was one color- Brown. They never replaced him, it didn't feel right. Pink took two months off after, and some even speculated she might stop the show. But she came back stronger than ever. A pang of guilt hits White when he realizes what he's done. He just killed two of the best Crewmates in the world. But hey, that's his job, right? He tells himself that as he scrubs blood off of his white body while inside a vent.

He peeks out of the vent, then slowly sneaks out; footsteps sound from down the hallway. He gets himself busy on swiping an Admin card. Blue peeks into the room, eyeing White carefully. He carefully looks up, putting on his best anxious face, mapping out ways to get out as if he wasn't the Impostor. Blue slowly steps away, and White continues on the card. It gets scanned successfully; another fake Impostor task done. He takes a look around the building to see who's solved their tasks.

Green and Yellow are nearly done, and the others are just two or three tasks away from being finished. He curses under his breath; realizing he's gonna have to risk a fairly public kill. The first thing he does is go to the electricity room, shutting off the lights and setting a passcode to turn them back on. He quickly hops into a vent, crawling to the communications room. He peeks in carefully, and spots Green. His back is turned, working on a communications computer. Stealth isn't an option; the alarm for the lights will go off any second now. He walks up behind him and kicks his legs, then moves to punch him in the head. He's out before he can even get a word out. White dusts off his hands.

He hears a shriek down the hall. "Oh my God, Purple! Teal!" Loud footsteps get closer, and he quickly steps into the hallway, acting like he was doing wiring. Pink runs quickly to him, mumbling and speaking incoherently. White places his hands on her shoulders. "White! T-The Impostor, they got Purple and Teal."

"What?!" He asks. Pink nods worriedly. "Where? Are they still alive?" He asks, voice rising just the right amount to act worried. Yellow, Orange, Red, Blue, Lime, and Black- the remaining Crewmates- are already sitting at the cafeteria table, all waiting worriedly. Pink and White take a seat; Pink squeezes White's hand subconsciously, and it almost bothers White how she does it so trustingly. He just sits tight and squeezes her hand back.

White can feel the dirty look Yellow gives to everyone in the group. He crosses his arms. "Sitting at this table, there is an impostor," he begins slowly. White can hear the hurt in his voice. Purple and Teal definitely didn't make it. He can't help but feel guilty. This is all different, for them and for him. "Did anyone see anything suspicious?"

"Hey, relax, Yellow," Lime cuts in, demeanor scared but words firm. "For all we know, you're the Impostor."

"It could be you, too," Blue says coldly.

"Hey, quit it!" Pink cries out, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. Everyone jumps. Her voice wavers. "We don't know anything. But we do know that Purple and Teal are gone, and that's more than any other Impostor has ever-" She pauses, then suddenly starts counting those sitting at the table. "H-Hey, where's Green?"

Lime almost raises his hand, then freezes. "Oh no."

They all run down the hall, and White follows, his heart heavy and guilt strong.


	2. Feel Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning for mature language this chapter!

White hears Pinks scream before he actually sees her hovering over Green's body.

Thankfully for them, he's still breathing and alive, but definitely isn't doing too well; Pink rips off his helmet without a second thought right away, inspecting his head carefully, pressing around a large, purple bruise. White bites his tongue. She just broke a rule; taking off someone else's helmet is strictly prohibited. The round is over. At first, those four words just pass through his head, but then his eyes widen as he realizes what he just thought.

It's over. They broke the rules. He won. Inner Inc. lost their first round in over a hundred years. He should feel happy; he'll be known as one of the most skilled Impostors in the world, Inner Inc. will probably lose their credibility, and he'll become rich and famous. If his mom is watching over him now, he knows she'd be proud. He finally defeated the most skilled group of people in the world, the same people who got her killed, finally got some form of revenge.

White never liked to think of himself as empathetic or kind; he's killed thousands of people, and someone who's a cold-hearted killer can't afford to feel much of any emotion. But as he stares at the scene before him, a group of close friends towering over their friend, something inside of him shifts. He stays still as a statue, watching, not moving, trying not to. And then his eyes meet Pinks; she looks up at him, helmet off and eyes filled with tears, with the saddest expression he's ever seen someone have. Her words from earlier echo in his head. "Nobody ever gets past us!" The number 50,000 is clear in the center of his head.

And so, without actually thinking about it, he lunges forward and pulls Greens helmet back on, then does the same for Pink. The cameraman runs into the room just moments after, White's fingers still under Pink's helmet. He clears his throat and pats the side of her head. "Uh, Pink- I think he'll be fine." They're close, almost too close for comfort, and White already knows she's figured it out, but she doesn't say anything. He saved her; she'll save him too. He can see a glint in her eye, even from behind the helmet. Her eyes form slits, but she has her eyebrows raised questioningly, almost as if to say "we'll talk about this later." She pulls her helmet over fully and her face disappears.

The cameraman who ran in stands there, looking shocked. Pink trots over to him while Orange holds Green, almost cradling him. They then order Black to get something from the Medbay. White simply stands there, watching it all unfold, everybody completely losing their trust in each other. He tries to push his emotions down; why is this affecting him so much? He can't afford to feel bad about this when it's his job to murder people every day. His conversation with himself before repeats in his head, yelling at himself to stop being so empathetic.

Green still hasn't woken up yet, but his breaths are steady and even. Orange is holding him as if they're afraid even looking away will cause Green to die. They look up at White. "Do you think he'll be okay?" They ask, and it's then that White remembers that while Pink may know, the others don't have as sharp of an eye. He keeps up his act, staring at Green worriedly until it stops becoming an act and he actually does worry for Green. He smacks himself internally. 'Quit worrying about these stupid strangers! What's gotten into you, dude?"

"Yeah, Orange, I think he'll be okay," White says softly. The cameraman seems to be talking to Pink, who, by the sound of her wavering voice, is definitely crying. White watches from the doorway as a group of people rush out of the ship, Teal and Purple on stretchers. He pushes away the guilt. He pushes away any emotion he's feeling and focuses on his job. 'This is all you're good for,' he reminds himself, just like his mother always did. 'Lying and deceiving are what you do best. So fucking do it!'

Pink pulls him with a jerk into a dimly-lit hallway; the lights have only just started to come back on, most likely the work of the camera crew. She takes his hand and drags him all the way down to the navigation room, checks to make sure there are no cameras around, and slams the door shut. She crosses her arms, practically rips off her helmet, and gives him the coldest look he's ever been given in his life. He shifts on his feet uncomfortably.

"You killed two of our friends, and gave another one a concussion," she begins, words slurred and tears still leaking out of her eyes. She jabs a finger against his chest. "How could you do that?"

He almost laughs. "I'm an Impostor," he says simply. "It's my job to kill, and you knew what you were risking when you started this job." He leans down a bit, as she's a solid four or five inches shorter than him, smiling. It's all painfully fake. "Good game, princess."

"What's wrong with you?" She cries. "We've had injuries before, sure, but did you have to... did you have to kill two of my best friends?" He feels emotionless as he nods his head 'yes,' as if it's the simplest thing he's ever been asked. Her eyes widen, shaking her head. "Y'know, I've never actually spoken to an Impostor before. But I guess my dad was right." She steps closer and closer, looking up so they're eye-to-eye. "You're all nothing but a cold-hearted killer."

"Lying and deceiving," he says with a smirk. "It's what I do best. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, you don't actually know if they're dead or not. I'd say they have a solid one percent chance of survival."

Pink scoffs, wiping at her eyes. "Yeah, makes me feel real better. I hate your guts."

"That's not very polite," he responds, tone bored but mind racing. Pink looks exasperated, and tired. A mix of both. Her expression is almost unreadable, but White had gotten good at recognizing emotions from the many years he spent studying Crewmates.

Just then, someone knocks on the door. Pink gives him a look. "Listen," she starts slowly. "I won't tell them yet, but if I find out you did kill Teal and Purple... You'll be kicked off this ship so quick it'll make your head spin. Got that?"

"You don't scare me," White says. "I've got this one in the bag."

"I do too!"

"I'm not convinced."

The knocks become more rapid and hard, and Pink pulls open the door hastily after pulling her helmet back on. Orange stands there, their demeanor a bit happier. "Pink! Teal and Purple are okay!" They say excitedly, and Pink's face lights up underneath her helmet. She makes the strangest squealing sound White has ever heard and hugs Orange, pulling them into a hug and spinning. Orange looks to White. "They're okay, White!"

"O-Oh yeah!" He says quickly, joining the hug, feeling uncomfortable. Orange has a tight grip on both of them, spinning them both around happily. His heart flutters; is this what it's like to have friends? He pushes the thought away. He just tried to kill two of their friends; being close is off the table. They all pull away, and White asks, "What about Green?"

"He hasn't woken up yet," Orange says sadly. "But I hope they will soon. The concussion isn't too awful. Oh, speaking of, I should actually go check on him. I'll talk to you guys later." They pause in the doorway. "That is, if you're not the Impostor..."

"Nothing to worry about!" White says nonchalantly. Pink jabs him in the gut. White kicks her shin. She scowls, and he smiles. Orange disappears out of sight, walking down the hall with an excited kind of bounce to their steps.

"So does Orange have a thing for Green? He obviously has a cru-"

"They," Pink says casually, fixing up her suit and smoothing out some wrinkles.

"Pardon?"

"They obviously have a crush."

"Sorry, they obviously have a big, fat crush on Green. I saw the way they held him in their arms as if he would disappear if they even blinked," White says, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. He closes his eyes for a moment, enjoying the peace and the feeling of the ship rumbling beneath him. Pink giggles quietly, a strange sound to make during all of the things going on. "What's so funny?"

She laughs some more, then finally stops giggling. "Sorry, it's just- Nobody else ever points it out, and here you are, a stranger talking about it. I just find it weird."

He raises an eyebrow. "I think you need some sleep."

"Our friends are okay," she says through a breath, closing her eyes gently. She looks up at White. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Hey, I didn't do shit on purpose!" He huffs. "I guess you're glad they survived, huh?"

"Have you ever had a friend, White?" Pink asks, typing away at the Navigation controls. He doesn't pay attention. "Because you seem like such a lonely asshole, it physically pains my heart."

"And you're a rude bitch," he shoots back.

"That's not very polite," she responds, mimicking White's tone from before. He clenches his first. So it turns out bubbly princess sparkle has a sense of humor after all, and White isn't too sure that he likes it. Pink finishes fixing up the navigation, and a silence falls upon them. It's as comfortable as silence can be between a murderer and a possible victim. She checks over her shoulder often to look at him; he can't blame her. It's quiet and peaceful for once in his life, so White enjoys the moment.

Not even thirty seconds after he's closed his eyes and feels like he may even fall asleep, an alarm blares through the air. He rushes to Pink's side; she flinches but continues working on the navigation. "Shit, shit, shit. White, did you do something?" She questions.

"How could I have done something? You've been watching me like a hawk," he says anxiously, peeking over her shoulder to see what she's doing. "Hey, what's happening, Pink?"

"Someone's cutting off the communications," she says through a quick breath. "I think I can fix it from here- Oh, shit!"

"What now?"

"Why is the ship rising?" Pink cries, still tapping away at the commands, but to no avail. White ignores the pounding in his heart.

"Do something!"

"Great idea, I was planning to stand here doing nothing!" She says sarcastically. The next five minutes become a blur. Pink stares at the control panel, not blinking once, trying everything she can. The alarm stops blaring; the ship still rises. Her hands still, coming to a stop.

White taps her on the shoulder. "...Pink? What happened?"

She turns around to face him, face expressionless. "Someone hacked into the navigation," she says slowly. "I don't know where the ship is going."

"Okay, fuck, what can we-"

"Do you realize what this means?" She asks. White blinks at her. "If someone hacks into the navigation, and it isn't you...?"

"What does it mean?" He asks, almost scared for the answer.

"It means there's another Impostor on the ship."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! feel free to leave a comment.


	3. Sitting Ducks

A new law was created on September 18th, 2025, one that clearly states, "No more than one Impostor may exist in a game at a time." White remembers when it first came out, people were disappointed, threw riots, got all caught up in how it was going to change everything. He remembers being disappointed at first, too, because nobody could quite understand why it wasn't allowed. Until it was announced; a group of Crewmates thought they had been dealing with one Impostor, but two other complete strangers had snuck on and managed to kill every single member. Since then, it became illegal. It only made things more confusing, but there was nothing people could do about it, so they accepted it.

Which is why White and Pink both immediately sink to the floor in silence, unsure of what to say or do. She looks to White at first, almost as if considering asking again whether or not he did it, but he shuts down her question right away with a hard glare. She stares at the tile floor, counting the squares, waiting worriedly.

"Y'know, I thought you were all rainbow and sparkles," White blurts out before he can think about it. Pink laughs. It sounds warm and soft, despite that their lives are in danger right now and neither of them knows what to do.

She traces patterns on her suit. "I'm not. It's more of an act," she says quietly, then catches herself, looking defensive all of the sudden. "Hey, what are you talking about? We need to figure out what we can do, and more importantly, we need to get to wherever they put Green, Teal, and Purple; do you think they got them off the ship before we started rising?" She asks worriedly.

White shrugs, drumming his fingers on his thighs anxiously. "Let's hope they did and that those three can get proper help," he replies. Pink sighs anxiously, looking around the room. "Hey, even if they didn't get them off, we can probably help them." If it were someone he knew, he'd want them to live as well, right? He can't find the energy to be angry about his empathy.

"And how would you help them?" Pink questions, distrust laced in her tone. "You're the reason they got put into this mess in the first place."

"My mom," White says, resting his head against the back of the navigation board. "She, uh, she was an Impostor. And she usually came home all beat up, bruises everywhere, cut up and injured from the various tasks she had to do. One time she got an infection from scraping her arm in a vent. She went to the hospital most of the time, but you know that Impostors aren't exactly rich. We don't have a cushioned life like you guys do," he says bitterly.

Pink seems so engrossed in what he's saying that she doesn't even bite back at his last remark. White continues. "So, when she couldn't afford the hospital, I would stitch her up. Some of my neighborhood friends who were pursuing medical careers would teach me, and then I would help her." He closes his eyes again, a wave of tiredness washing over him. His fingers still drum against his thigh.

Pink puts her hands together. White looks at her, and she has a sorry expression on her face. "Hey, uh, I'm sorry about your mom." She bites her lip. "I don't know how close you two were... but she obviously meant a lot to you."

White doesn't respond, just staring at her, unsure of what to say or do, before the words come to him. "That's rich coming from you," he says bitterly. She frowns, about to speak, but he interrupts her. "Hey, we should focus on the task at hand, right? How do we get this ship back down to the moon and help your friends?"

Pink stands up, so White does too, dusting himself off. "We need to figure out what happened first," she says calmly. "If there really is another Impostor on the ship... They know it's illegal. We need to do whatever we can to find out who it is."

"Okay, so how do we do that?" White asks. Pink taps her foot, staring hard at the ground, thinking.

"We ask questions," she says. "And ask for alibis. Unlike you, an illegal Impostor wouldn't have access to information about us. They wouldn't know whoever they're impersonating as well as you do." White stares at her, confused, and she sighs. "You got information on White, right?" He nods. "Let's say I was an illegal Impostor. I wouldn't have access to Pink. I wouldn't have the right answer to any questions about her."

White nods slowly in understanding. "So asking questions until you find out who it is?" He asks. She nods, looking nervous. "But what's more important; getting back to the moon, or figuring out who the Impostor is?"

"Figuring out who it is. As long as they're still on the ship, they could do it again," she says. Pink takes in a deep breath, and White pats her shoulder reassuringly. She shoves his hand away.

"Alright, we've got this, Pink," he says confidently. "You're good at spotting liars, and I am too. We're the two best people from two different groups."

Pink looks unconvinced. "I don't think it'll be that easy," she says worriedly, looking at the door. "Extra Impostors are illegal, White. If they managed to sneak onto the ship, they have something they want to do, and they were smart enough to actually get on. What if they actually did something to the real Crewmate?"

"Hey, you're freaking yourself out now. Let's just go find your friends and call a meeting, and hope for the best," White says. She pauses; then nods, looking up at him.

"Alright," she says. "Let's do it."


	4. Distrustful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *content warning for mentions of blood, violence, stabbing, and mature language this chapter!*
> 
> thank you for 3,000 hits!

The hallway feels cold and empty when White and Pink go through the navigation door to enter it. The lights flicker, and Pink pulls her helmet back on. White does the same, and then everything has a strange white tint to it. He feels light-headed and empty, almost as if he isn't walking to a cafeteria table, but rather to his death. If they find out he's an Impostor, what will they do? Will Pink even be able to explain before they throw him off the ship? He shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut, blocking out the thought.

They don't head to the cafeteria right away, however. They arrive in front of the communications room, and Pink knocks lightly on the door. Orange opens it, helmet up, looking tired. "I heard the news," they say worriedly. "Or rather felt it, when the ship suddenly went into the air. I hate having motion sickness." Pink and White brush off their complaints, opening the door wider and stepping inside. Green is lying on a makeshift bed, made up of blankets and pillow that White assumes they got from the storage crates. His heart sinks just slightly; this means they didn't get off the ship, and they'd all have to take care of the injured themselves.

Pink steps closer to Green, brows furrowed and looking sad. "Do you think he'll be okay?" She asks, turning to Orange. They sigh, then shrug.

"It's up to them if they want to wake up or not," they reply, tracing the outline of Green's helmet. "He's always been strong. I think that he'll wake up just fine; maybe with a little bit of head pain... But there's not much we can do about that besides giving him some medicine." They look over to White, who stands sheepishly in the doorway, not wanting to get any closer to them.

The staring becomes uncomfortable, so he clears his throat and steps forward. "I can try to help if he does wake up- and, uh, I can also try with Purple and Teal. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do, but I can-"

Orange interrupts him with a scoff. "Are you joking? Last time you tried to clean up an injury, you made it ten times worse. Everyone knows you're our worst medic, White." They turn back to Green, looking defeated. "I hope he can wake up. Man, if I find out who that Impostor is..."

White takes in a deep breath. "I'm the Impostor." Pink shoots him a look, one that says 'are you insane?' But he knows he can help if Orange lets him. Orange turns slowly to face him. "Listen, I know what you're thinking- but I was just doing my job, and now... Something is really, really wrong."

Orange throws a punch. White avoids it easily. Pink goes between them.

"Listen, Orange!" She yells, to no avail, as they throw another punch, this time at Pink. Her head snaps to the side.

White grabs their fist the next time, easily pinning them down with one hand. "Listen up!" He yells. They still struggle underneath him. "I didn't make the ship rise!"

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?" They reply, still struggling. White has no issues holding them down.

Pink grips the side of her face, wiping her now swollen lip with her finger. She frowns, grabbing a tissue and using it to soak up some blood. "It's true, Orange," she says slowly, voice slightly muffled. "White didn't do it. There's another Impostor on the ship. I was with him the entire time and he didn't do anything."

White loosens his grip on Orange, who stops struggling now and instead stands up. White puts his hands up in surrender. Pink gives them a hurt look.

Orange, still looking skeptical, gets a bit closer to Pink. They sigh. "Hey, I'm sorry, really. I didn't mean to hurt you," they say quietly. They place a hand on Pink's shoulder, and she ignores the way it stings. She clears her throat and steps up to the door.

"It's fine," she says half-heartedly. "Shall we?" She asks, throwing away the tissue and running her tongue over a bruise forming on her lip. Without actually waiting for an answer, she steps through the door and into the hallway. White, despite the fact that he's sweating underneath his suit, shivers at the thought of them suspecting him. Orange... sort of understood. But would the others?

Pink sits down at the table next to Orange, and they make a barrier between her and White. She takes in a deep breath, then lifts up the glass covering the emergency meeting button. She slams the palm of her hand down onto it, and an alarm blares for five seconds before a message pops up inside White's- and everyone else's- helmet. 'Please come to the cafeteria! PINK has called an emergency meeting."

Yellow, Red, Lime, Blue, and Black all rush into the cafeteria, taking their seats right away. Pink looks over at White before saying anything, lifting a brow as if to ask 'you sure about telling them?' He nods his head.

"White is the Impostor," she blurts out. The room goes quiet. "But he can help us." White blinks at her, waiting for her to continue, but she looks frozen. 'Well, of all the ways to tell them, I think that was the worst one.'

Blue is the first to stand up, then Red, going over to White's side and tugging at him. "Woah- Hey, no! Let go of me!" He tugs away, surprisingly strong, but five against one isn't a good ratio. Pink cuts in again- quite literally. She shoves herself between White and the other five trying to grab at him.

"Let me finish!" She yells, breathing heavily. She's just now realizing how strange this is; how is she gonna convince them an Impostor who injured three of their friends isn't actually too horrible? It's absurd. "White, he- There's two Impostors on the ship. And I know it isn't him who did that- The other thing. Because we were together when the ship took off," she breathes out. The other five simply stare at her, wide-eyed.

"That's illegal," Yellow says after a long moment of silence. White snorts.

"Yeah, no shit, sherlock. That's why we need to find out who it is." His eyes scan the five of them, then turn to Orange and Pink. It really could be anybody, besides him and Pink. They were together, and they all trust Pink.

Pink orders them to sit down again, and they reluctantly do, eyes all focused on White. Lime speaks up after a moment. "So how are we figuring this out?"

"Simple," Pink says, despite the fact that the situation is quite the opposite. "We ask questions only the real color would know. If you can't answer enough, we'll find out eventually." She leans closer to the table, looking more intimidating now that her lip is messed up. "And you all know I can spot a liar from a mile away."

They all nod. Orange plays with their fingers nervously while Blue looks bored. "First question, and this one is for Yellow. What was the name of the first episode of Inner Inc. we ever aired, one that isn't up anymore, and only we would know?"

He answers almost immediately. "It was called Headlight," he says quickly. "You named it that, Pink. The crew took it down because the name didn't make sense, and you got angry and everything."

Pink nods slowly, satisfied with his answer. "Alright. I'm pretty sure you're you." She turns to Blue. "As for you... What were the first words you ever said to me?"

Blue looks at the table, then sighs. "I asked if you were... Princess Bubblegum Sparkles because of the dress you were wearing." Pink tries and fails to hold in a laugh. She nods after calming down.

"Good. Now, Orange-" She stops in her tracks, looking around the table. "Hey, where did Orange go?"

Blue gasps. "Pink, Lime got stabbed!" Pink stands up quickly, looking at Lime. He has a large slash in his back, still sitting upright. His helmet is still on, masking any facial expressions he could've shown. 

"Okay, fuck- Red, take him to Medbay and do whatever you can!" She says. "Where did Orange go?"

The group splits up without actually meaning to; White runs near the Shields, Pink towards Medbay to help Red, and he has no idea where the others went. He's about to go back to the cafeteria when the lights in the ship go out, leaving him in pitch blackness.

"Fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed this chapter! as always feel free to leave a comment, i love talking with you guys!


	5. Luminescence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 4,000 hits!

"Hey, you're gonna make us late on the first day!" Pink yells from outside the house, waiting for her friend to finish getting dressed. She taps her foot impatiently, checking her watch on her wrist. Her suit is in the backseat; brand new and hand-made by one of her friends. She groans. "I'm gonna leave if you take any longer! This is taking far too long!" Finally, after what feels like hours, the front door opens and out steps Orange in a fresh, clean suit. Pink smiles.

"Sorry about that," they say sheepishly, rubbing the back of their head. "I know how important this is to you. I just didn't feel like going alone." Pink gives them a reassuring smile, opening the car door and motioning for them to get inside. She sits in the driver's seat.

It's quiet between them for a bit. "It's okay," she says slowly. "I'm just kind of nervous- I mean, what if they don't think I'm fit to be a Crewmate?" She asks worriedly, looking down at her hands. Her hat- a block of cheese made out of clay; Brown made it for her- starts sliding off, and she quickly fixes it. Orange gives her a sympathetic look. She sighs, leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes. "I've worked towards this my whole life... You know it's my dream, right?"

Orange laughs, but it isn't at her. "Yeah, Pink, I know. You've dreamed of being a crewmate since we were five." Pink still frowns. Orange places a finger under her chin, putting them face to face. "Listen- I've known you my whole life. You're like a younger sister to me. And I know you can do this; just tell them you want to be a crewmate and tell them everything you practiced."

Pink gives them a small, modest, smile, playing with her hands in her lap. "Do you really think so?"

"I'm positive, Pinky," they say cheerfully. "You're gonna be the best crewmate this world has ever seen."

━━

Pink snaps herself out of the memory, biting her nails worriedly, mumbling a string of curse words under her breath when she realizes the lights have gone out. She's standing in a now dark Medbay with Red, who was trying to create a special healing serum before the power went out. Their hands go limp when the screen turns off. "Fuck. Pink, what do we do?" She sighs.

"I don't know," she says honestly, because for once in her life, she has no idea. "Are there any flashlights around here? Maybe in the storage area?"

Red nods, his suit ruffling a bit as he does. "Yeah, we can check there. Just... be careful in the halls. Keep your ears open and stay alert, alright?" He pauses. "Should we really leave Lime alone? Maybe I should stay here."

Pink places her hands on her head, a headache developing. "Fuck! I don't know, Red! For once, I don't know what to do!" Red stays quiet. More noise will only make her more upset. She wipes away at her eyes, getting sick of crying. "Why did I trust them? They acted so much like Orange, I didn't even think to suspect them! If only I had a sharper eye..."

"Quit blaming yourself. That won't get us anywhere." Red steps closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did the best you could. All of us did. And with all of this added pressure that was suddenly put on you, I can't blame you for not realizing it. Whoever that person is... they know who Orange is far too well."

Pink nods slowly, taking in a deep breath when Red reminds her to breathe. "Okay. You're right," she says firmly. "I think I should go alone. You protect Lime; I'll get back here as soon as I can."

"I'm liking the plan. Just hug the wall and you'll end up in the right place eventually; try using the light from random buttons to guide you as well," he says. Pink says a small 'alright' and turns to leave. Red lunges forward before she even takes a step, enveloping her in a hug. "Get back safe, alright? The crew needs you."

She turns around, returning the hug. "I'll be as careful as I can. I know how to fight." Red slips something sharp into her pocket. "A knife?"

"Incase you need it," he says, pulling away. Pink frowns, but keeps it with her. She can't take any chances. "If anything happens, just call for someone and I'm sure at least one person will come." Pink doesn't respond; they've dragged this out for far too long. She steps into the hallway, quiet as a mouse, walking on her toes to stay extra quiet. For all she knows, the Impostor could be sneaking around these halls right now; the only advantage is that they can see in the dark.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the building, White stares at the floor in shock. Darkness has never been something he actually enjoyed. It seems the lamp in his helmet that allows him to see in the dark is broken as well. If the fake Orange got ahold of an Impostor suit and they can see in the dark... He tries not to think about it, instead putting his arms out and blinding feeling around until he thinks he's reached the wall. After that, he hugs it until he reaches the storage room. He knows for a fact they keep flashlights in there due to the countless times he's hidden inside of crates.

He feels around the crates for a while, waiting till he finds one with the letter 'L' on it for 'lighting.' He traces the letter L with his finger, then smiles. It's easy to rip open the crate, and he does it a bit more quietly now, as the Impostor is probably listening for sounds. It feels strange being the one being hunted for once. He picks up a flashlight, grinning to himself. Mere moments before he clicks it on, someone wacks him in the back of the head with the lid of a crate.

"Fucking hell!" He yells, protecting his head and bracing for another blow. But he quickly hears the lid being set down before someone gushes out apologies.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry, White, I didn't mean to- I thought you were the Impostor..." Pink goes on and on about how sorry she is, and White simply rubs the back of his head. He sits up and groans, grabbing the flashlight and flicking it on. A guilty-looking Pink stands there, a small smile on her face. "Hey. Come here often?"

"Oh, shut the hell up." White stands up again, ignoring the pounding in his head. "Pro-tip," he begins. "If you're gonna hit someone, you gotta do it with more force, and with something stronger. Not the back of a wooden crate."

"Well, I guess I'm learning all sorts of things today. I could probably be an Impostor myself at this point." White blinks at her, and she frowns. "Wrong time to joke." She picks up a flashlight out of the crate, grabbing a few others and holding them in her arms. White raises an eyebrow, and she explains. "I'm with Red. He has Lime in the Medbay." She looks around the area, sweeping a quick glance. "We should move somewhere more secure before I tell you what happened."

White nods. "Good idea. Follow me, and stay behind me just incase." She stays close to his back, and he holds an arm behind him just to make sure she's there. They walk slowly and quietly to the electrical room, both of them immediately starting on the wiring while they talk.

"I didn't know you could do wiring," Pink says, impressed. 

White shrugs, playing with the wires. "Funny that you say that, because I actually have no fucking idea what I'm doing." Pink laughs quietly, moving closer to him, torso against his back, and placing her hands on his. She starts moving the wires carefully.

"It's easy once you get the hang of it," she whispers, her breath hot on the back of White's neck. She has to stand on her tippy-toes to see over his shoulder. "It's basically a game of matching colors. So you bring yellow to yellow, pink to pink.., Just be careful not to electrocute yourself." She places the wires back in his hands and steps away, sighing contently. "You can do it!"

Pink has never seen White look so red in her life. She blushes slightly, turning her head away and towards the wires. White clears his throat. "Oh. Thank you." She just nods. White moves to position the flashlight and make it easier to fix the wiring, and the two of them work in silence for a minute before jumping back into the conversation. "So what's happening with Lime?"

"He got stabbed in the back, but it isn't deep; it's more of just a slice," Pink says, her voice tight. "It's like... an incision, almost like one you'd see in a surgery."

"Then whoever did it probably did that on purpose."

Pink looks over at him, raising a brow. "Pardon?"

"If they wanted to kill him, they should've gone for the upper shoulder," he explains slowly. "That's where a major artery is. Slicing his back will injure him, yeah, but it obviously won't kill him. Which kind of makes me think that whoever did it... Didn't actually want to." Pink stares at him, mouth agape and eyes wide.

"So what are you saying?" She asks. White connects a yellow wire to a blue one and yelps before continuing. 

"Maybe... Maybe they didn't actually want to do that to Lime." He lifts his head up and gasps as if suddenly realizing something. "Wait a minute..."

"Hey, are you okay?" Pink asks.

"Oh my God. Pink, Orange isn't the Impostor! It's Black!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The lights flicker then, and they both jump, turning around instinctively. A dark figure stands in front of the generator, and the sickest laugh White has ever heard comes out of them. They clap slowly. "Well done, you two. I didn't think you'd be able to figure it out, in all honesty." They take a step forward, and White reaches out to his left to grab Pink, pulling her by his side. "But I guess the, uh. Ex-Impostor here is smarter than he looks."

"What did you do?" White asks firmly. The lights go out again, and he freezes.

"It was easy, actually," they continue. "I managed to... convince Orange to help me out. But I guess that little prick didn't actually kill Lime, huh? Damn, I guess they weren't lying when they said your group is smarter than it looks." They take another step forward, only a foot or two away from White's face. "I have to ask, though; how did you know it was me?"

"It was back when Orange asked you to go to the Medbay after Green was stabbed," White says simply. "You came back empty-handed with no medical supplies after being gone for far too long. You did something to the comms during that time, didn't you? And made the ship take off?"

The lights turn on fully, and White realizes that Pink has been working on the wiring behind him while they were talking. Black frowns. "Oh my. You really have a sharp eye, don't you?" White glares at them. "Alright, alright. You got me. I did do that."

Pink steps out from behind White, looking brave. "What did you do to the real Black?" She asks ferociously.

"I... Took care of him," they say carefully. "Don't worry. He'll be okay. I just put him into a... small coma, if you will." Pink gasps. White feels empty.

"Why are you doing this?" White asks. This person seems to like being asked questions; maybe he can buy them some time while the others figure out what's going on.

"Don't think I'm stupid. I know what you're doing," Black asks. White's heart sinks. "It's time, White."

"Time for what?" He asks, bewildered.

"This."

A knife is thrown at his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! as always feel free to leave a comment, i love hearing your guys' thoughts!


	6. Pink

The tip of the knife just barely scrapes White's ear.

He manages to move out of the way, and thankfully, Pink had the right idea and decided to duck. White brings the tips of his fingers up to his ear, pulling them back to see red on his fingers and feeling stinging pain in that area. He frowns and wipes the blood off on his white suit, looking back up at his attacker with a sort of anger in his eyes that Pink has never seen before. Despite it all, he turns to Pink. "Are you okay?" He asks, inspecting the top of her head where the knife might have grazed it. She gives him a dumbfounded look.

The two of them turn their attention back to the problem before them; Black. He has three other knives in his jacket, and White immediately recognizes what he's wearing as an Imposter suit. Well, two can play at that game. He reaches into his own suit and feels around for the knives, or a bomb, or something he can use. He only has two knives, and one of them is used, yet that's still the least of their problems. He needs to figure out where the ship is going and how they can get it back.

"White!" Pink shrieks, grabbing him and pulling him just as a knife whizzes by his side. He feels dizzy as he pushes her away to the side. He places both hands on her shoulders and looks deeply into her eyes.

"Listen, Pink," he says hastily. "You stay out of the way no matter what; got that? Your crew has been through enough." She looks like she's about to protest, but then nods slowly, meeting his eyes. He pulls away.

Black yawns behind them, and White turns around. "This is getting boring; can you die already?" White laughs.

"I'm not going down that easily." He swiftly grabs the knife out of his jacket, immediately chucking it at Black. The other Impostor quickly dodges it with a sort of skill like nothing White has ever seen before. The knife plunges into the wall.

The electricity room is small; too small for a fair fight. White realizes rather quickly that Black has a big advantage here, with a fresh suit and the same skills that he has. "Don't make this hard, White. I'm just doing my job."

They circle each other, which proves to be difficult in the small area. White frowns. "Your job? Who hired you?"

Another knife is thrown. Yet again by Black, and White manages to narrowly avoid a blade straight to the chest. White stares at it in the wall. Each Impostor suit comes with two bombs, three knives, and a bit of rope. Black has already thrown three, which White realizes gives himself only a small advantage. He wouldn't blow up a bomb in the room they're in; if the power goes out again, White has the advantage with his knives.

'Fuck, this guy is smart,' White realizes. 'I could use another knife... If I use a bomb it'll hurt all of us. But I only have one blade left, and it's dull. Cmon, White, think! What can I do?"

Pink stares worriedly from the sidelines. The knife Red gave her feels heavier than it should in her pocket. She knows better than to jump in; it'll distract White too much and give Black a huge advantage. "Cmon, I gotta be able to do something," she mumbles under her breath. Her eyes look to the exit. 'Too risky, he'll see me. So what can I do?'

White feels around the inside of his suit. If he can aim this knife right, Black will go down. But if he fails, it's all over. It all depends on one, dull, bloody, knife. White exhales slowly.

He chucks the knife without warning at Black. 

It scrapes his side as he moves out of the way, and that's all it takes for Black to lunge at him. White is taken down immediately, not expecting the sudden attack. He expected a bomb to be thrown; what is he doing? White is about to open his mouth when suddenly, the emergency alarm goes off. It seems to throw off Black, and White takes that small opportunity to turn the tables.

He flips their positions, pinning down Black and trying to think of what he can do. Black has the same amount of muscle as White, but it's harder to wrestle him down due to how tired he is from all of this. The alarm still blares in the background, and White catches a glimpse of Pink running out of the room.

When his head is turned to the door, Black rolls out from under him, shoving him against the wall. He sprints for the door, going after Pink. White realizes his side is bleeding from the knife; he ignores it. White sprints after the two of them, catching a glimpse of Pink turning down the hall. He tries to speed up and hopes he can make it in time.

They run all around the building for a minute before White decides to loop around. He runs into Pink, grabbing her and throwing a bomb in the direction he knows Black will come from. The two of them catch their breath for a moment, still knowing the fight is far from over.

"That was- Smart of you to set off the alarm," White gasps out through breaths. Pink frowns.

"I didn't set it off."

"What?"

"EMERGENCY ALERT: SHIP MALFUNCTION. PLEASE LAND AND EXIT VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY. EMERGENCY ALERT..." It repeats over and over, and Pink and White both blink at each other, neither one speaking. Before they get the chance to, though, the bomb explodes. White covers his ears, staring at the hall impatiently.

Black still runs over, looking beat up, but nowhere close to giving up. This time, White has time to react. Black reaches for a blade and aims it straight for Pink; White blocks it, grabbing his wrist and then pulling the knife out of his hand. He quickly points it at his neck, panting heavily, eyes wide and expression screaming 'I won't hesitate to murder you.'

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat right now," White says threateningly. The alarm still blares. Black laughs, which only makes White even angrier. How could he laugh at a time like this?

Black puts his hands up. "Whatever. The ship is gonna crash anyway. We'll all be dead in a minute," he says. 

White turns to look for Pink. She stands in the corner, looking moments away from passing out. With his head turned, Black quickly switches their positions again, grabbing the knife out of his loose grip and moving it to his throat. White is about to yell out before realizing that's a horrible decision.

"No-!" Pink yells, reaching out, then backing up when the knife gets closer to his neck. Black stands behind White, smiling wide, looking like a maniac. Pink feels tears forming in her eyes, but doesn't do anything. "Okay, just- Oh, fuck, fuck. White, I'm sorry."

"Shut up," he says through a breath, trying to think.

Without warning, Black aims another knife straight at Pink, and this time, she has no time to react before it pierces her upper thigh. She yells out in pain, and White yells, then freezes when he feels cold metal against his bare neck. He tries not to move. 

"I did what you wanted! I'm not moving!" White yells. 

"Doesn't mean I can't have a little fun," Black says with a grin. Pink grips her thigh in pain, whispering 'ow' over and over. She looks back up.

Black slams White against the wall, pointing the tip of the blade to his neck. "Here's what gonna happen," he says slowly. "I'm gonna kill every single one of you on this ship, okay? And then I'm gonna get back to the moon. I'm gonna tell them what happened, but in this scenario, you were the bad guy. I'll finally be known as-"

The sound of a blade slamming into skin interrupts him mid-sentence. It goes quiet. The knife Black is holding clatters to the ground, and he goes limp, leaning against White. White doesn't move. He doesn't speak, either, feeling numb.

Black's body falls to the floor. Pink stands in front of him, a bloody knife in her hand. She drops it, falling to the floor- completely ignoring the burning sensation in her thigh- and burying her head in her hands. She doesn't make any sound.

White goes to her side, holds her and tries to tell her she did the right thing. 

Pink stares at the knife.

"I just killed someone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops- that ending... well, hope you enjoyed :)


	7. Medals & Trophies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 6,000 hits! i'm going through a bit of a rough patch right now so i apologize if updates slow, but thank you either way!

Ten minutes sitting on the cold, tile floor in front of Black's corpse turns into hours. White expected Pink to start crying, but she stays strangely silent, not moving. His arms feel strange when they wrap around her; comforting others isn't his strong suit. Whenever he cried, his mother told him to grow up and keep working hard. He wouldn't dare say that to Pink.

Her shaking subsides after an hour or so sitting there. White zoned out a long time ago, gave up saying anything. It felt wrong. Someone from her crew should be the one sitting here, someone who knows her, someone who didn't cause this entire mess. Pink lets out a shaky breath, closing her eyes as she looks up and turns away from the body.

"Is... Is he really dead?" She asks cautiously, hands trembling and skin looking pale. She's more of a pastel pink, now, White thinks, and he doesn't like the sad look on her face.

He shuffles around, turning his body away from Black as well. "Yeah," he whispers, pulling his knees up against his chest. "Yeah, he's dead, Pink."

"What have I done?" She mumbles, staring at her bruised and blood-covered hands. She frowns furiously. "I'm supposed to save people. Not brutally end their lives, no matter what they've done."

"He would've been taken care of either way," White argues. "When you eject those Impostors-"

"They don't die," Pink says quietly. "God, I'd never kill someone. Those people are still floating through space. Maybe they found another planet somewhere." White doesn't know when the alarm stopped, but he's glad it did. She turns her head to look at White. "Did you know that Orange said I'd be the best Crewmate ever?" She laughs, and it's broken and empty. "They were wrong."

White drums his fingers against his knee, counting the tiny squares on the tile. "I don't think they were wrong," White says. "Besides... I would have done the same thing. I'm just sorry you had to." He takes in a sharp breath. "And I get it if... When we get back to the moon, you have to tell them it was me who caused all this chaos and killed Black."

Pink shakes her head. "No. You were just doing your job. This world is so cruel and corrupt." She looks up at White. "Do you think... Maybe in another life, we were Crewmates?"

"That's a strange question to ask," he deflects. Pink looks down, and he bites his tongue. "But maybe. I mean, I actually wanted to be a Crewmate for a long time." It slips out, and he slaps his hand over his mouth, regretting ever speaking.

Pink looks up at him, wide-eyed. "You wanted to be a Crewmate?" White shakes his head, but it's too late. "Why didn't you?"

"I- Isn't that a bit personal?"

"Personal? I just- Killed someone for you, White," she chokes out. He nods because she's not wrong.

"Well, it started when I was a kid... I remember... I was walking down the road," he begins carefully. Should he really share all these personal details? Probably not, and yet, he continues anyway. "The sun was just beginning to set. I couldn't have been more than probably eight, maybe nine. Anyway, I remember looking into a store window and seeing a bunch of TVs from the news. I saw your crew, on that screen, medals around all of your necks and trophies in your arms. I remember seeing White up there, too, and at that exact moment, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be on that screen, too."

Pink looks curiously at him, a question on the tip of her tongue but too nervous to ask it. She wonders if White may have actually made it. Not into their crew, but maybe he could have surpassed them. Finally, she gathers up her nerve and asks, "why didn't you do it?" White meets her eyes. "I mean, why didn't you become a Crewmate? I'm sure you would've had the skill to."

"The skill?" He asks, raising an eyebrow and giving her a funny look. "I'm an Impostor, Pink. I don't have any skills besides murdering and lying." 

"I don't think that's true."

His confused look impossibly becomes even more dumbfounded. "What do you mean, it isn't true?" He asks, feeling a bit angry. "You think I'm bad at this or something?"

"I think that there's more to you than your skill," she says carefully. "And you're more than just a killer or a liar. You're a living being, White. And your past doesn't have to define you."

His eyes widen then, and just when Pink is beginning to think she may have said the wrong thing, he mumbles out a small "thank you." She sighs, leaning against the back of a crate and wincing. She'd almost forgotten about her thigh.

"Oh, shit, I forgot he sliced you- Does it hurt a lot?" He asks, inspecting it closer. Pink rips part of her suits cloth so he can get a better look at it. White doesn't look too worried. "It looks like it didn't go too deep. You'll just have a sick scar for the rest of your life."

Pink rolls her eyes. "Boy, I sure am excited," she says sarcastically. "I had to pull it out of my thigh, though. That doesn't sound very..." Her words trail off

"I think it just hung there for a second," White reassures. "That's a strange thing to talk about. Come on, tell me about you. I told you about myself, isn't it only fair?"

Pink gives him a confused look. "Why don't we get to Medbay first? Y'know, so you can actually fix the problem at hand?"

White stands up then, holding up a finger. "Orrr... I can bring the Medbay to us, so you don't have to move." Pink starts to stand, saying something about being able to walk, but White places a hand against her and pushes her against a crate to sit on. "You just sit tight." 

He sprints down the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter, but i hope you enjoyed nonetheless! feel free to leave a comment.


	8. SB0421

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 8k hits!

When White makes it to the Medbay, he's surprised to see that every other color has gathered there, standing and sitting in various places. Teal, Purple, and Green all lay on makeshift stretchers all around the room. Red is bouncing a ball against the wall boredly, having a small conversation with Lime. Everyone in the room looks like a mess. There's a tear in Blue's suit, and a crack in Yellows helmet, which tells White that these people clearly have no idea how to fight or protect themselves. Has nothing ever gone wrong for them? White shakes away the thought, stepping carefully into the room, hands behind his back. He can't help the guilty look that appears on his face as all heads turn to him. 

"Uh. Hey," he says awkwardly.

"Hey?" Red mumbles, anger rising to their face. "That's all you have to say after this entire mess? A mess that, might I add, was your fault to begin with?" He stands up, stepping closer and closer to White, looking more upset than anyone White has ever seen. "Where's Pink? Did you kill her too, Impostor?"

White takes a step back, feeling exposed. "I- Listen, I didn't mean for all of this to happen." Lime jumps off a nearby counter. Medicine bottles are right on the edge of it, and White guesses he shoved them all aside just to have a seat. "Besides, where were you when Pink and I were doing all of that?"

Lime freezes, looking confused. "All of what? I thought you were done." His eyes widen. "Unless you really did kill Pink. You did, didn't you? Are we gonna have to make another stretcher, lose another person, give up our show and everything we worked hard for?" White feels speechless as the other color yells. His head hurts. "I'll never understand why anyone would want to become an Impostor. You're nothing but a cold-hearted killer hurting innocent peop-"

"Your voice is giving me a headache," someone says from the doorway, and everyone turns to see Pink there, leaning against the doorway. Her expression screams pain and she looks pale. White quickly moves to her side, which causes Yellow to move in the way, going to help Pink instead. He gives White a dirty look as he helps Pink sit down on the floor. Pink looks up at White. "Sorry, White. I was getting bored sitting there alone."

"You're insane," Blue says, already messing around with some tools in the background. White moves to help him, which Blue clearly dislikes, practically guarding the medical supplies with his life. White watches carefully to make sure he's doing the right thing. Blue grabs a bottle out of a cabinet and steps over to Pink, leaning down.

White frowns. "You're doing it wrong," he says right before Blue presses it against her thigh. They both look up at him, and White comes over, sitting down to do it. He takes the things from Blue, aware that everyone is watching him like a hawk. "First of all, you need to clean the wound to make sure you're not just rubbing random debris in." He grabs a cloth, wets it, and gently presses it against her thigh. She doesn't even flinch. "Then you use hydrogen peroxide-"

"What the hell is that?"

White ignores the question, rolling his eyes. So they've actually never had someone get injured before. "To clean it. Using a random hand soap isn't a very good idea, Blue. Didn't you guys have a medic around here?"

Yellow shoots daggers with his eyes straight at White. "Usually we don't have injuries this bad. The Impostors aren't brutal, cold-hearted killers with a thirst for blood and murder." White gives him a look.

"That's awfully rude," he says defensively, turning back to Pink. "I'm doing my job. You all have your own jobs to do as Crewmates. What do you think will happen to me if I don't show up to work one day? You think they're just gonna let that slide?" Nobody speaks, and he scoffs, pouring a bit of rubbing alcohol onto a gauze pad. "They would kill me."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Lime cuts in. "Impostors shouldn't even be here. All they do is lie, and kill, and cheat, and don't get me started on-"

Pink covers her ears with her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. "Shut the fuck up!" She yells, and everyone jumps at the sudden outburst. "You've never even spoken to him! Why are you assuming he's the same as the other Impostors?" 

Red blinks at her. "Pink, you can't seriously think-"

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be alive right now. He's the one who protected me in that fight," she says angrily. "Maybe- Maybe every Impostor isn't the same. They're just like us, doing their jobs." She glances around the room, uncovering her ears and looking a bit apologetic.

Yellow gestures to the three colors currently passed out. "Pink, he did this!"

"He would die if he didn't! Just like we would be penalized if we ever lost a game!" Pink argues. White stays quiet. Her wound is clean, so he bandages it carefully. Pink looks down at him. "You tell them, White. You saved my life back there."

White looks up at her, then at everyone in the room. "I'm an Impostor, Pink," he says. "I have a job to do, and that's to kill people. You can't trust people so easily."

"Why are you so determined to close yourself off from the world?" Pink responds quickly. White tightens her bandage, and she winces. "You're a person, too. You must feel something about all of this, right?" The others listen intently, wide awake now despite their boredom just minutes earlier.

White finishes cleaning the cut, dusting off his hands. "No," he says. "I don't feel anything." He exits the room.

Pink stares at the floor frustratedly, crossing her arms and ignoring the stinging in her thigh. White must've tightened her bandage like that on purpose; did she say too much? She shakes her head, sighing, playing with her hands, and waiting for nothing. Red shuts the door after White exits and comes to her side.

"What's gotten into you?" He asks, giving her a stern look. "Did he threaten you to say that or something? Are we still in a lot of danger? I mean, obviously we are, as long as he's on the shi-"

Pink slaps him. Hard. The sound echoes through the room, and Pink's hand hangs in the air, eyes widening as she realizes what she just did. Red looks shocked, bringing a hand up to his face where a bright imprint now begins to form. His eyes meet Pinks, and she's never seen him look at anyone like that before.

"I..." She stands up slowly. Nobody stops her, but eyes stay on her as she moves. When she goes to the door, nobody stops her. "I'm sorry, Red." A pause. "I have to get some air."

She swings open the door and exits quietly.

──

White sits on a chair in the navigation room, staring out the glass into a black void of space- literally. He spins in the chair, bouncing a random ball he found in the Admin room as he waits for someone to do something. He tried working on the navigation for awhile, but he'd never done anything like it before and it quickly proved to be too difficult of a task. He'd never actually done a task that any other Crewmate could do; he knew he was practically useless in this situation.

Pink stumbles into the room as he plays around with the joysticks, hovering right and left over and over again for the sole reason of having some fun. She taps him on the shoulder, and he turns around, glaring at her. She stands up as straight as she can for someone with an injured leg and smiles.

"What are you doing?" She asks, fixing the joysticks and letting the ship move in a normal line. "You can't mess around like that. One wrong move and you could get us all killed," she lectures, sounding like a mother talking to her toddler after they mess up a task. She sits in the other seat and sighs.

White looks at her thigh. "How's your leg?" He asks.

"Same as it was three minutes ago when you bandaged it," she says sarcastically, grabbing a clump of her shirt just to have something to hold onto. "Why did you say that in front of everyone else? Now they trust you even less," she says, a hint of anger to her tone. She tries not to get mad; it isn't working very well.

The ball still bounces in the air, up and down, White not exactly paying attention to her. Pink glares at him. "Easy, tiger. I said that because it's true."

"Why would you believe that about yourself?" Pink asks, and she's beginning to think the only thing she's able to feel lately is frustration, "I mean- I stood up for you back there, and then you just stormed out, like you're some sort of child. Fat chance the rest of our crew will trust you now," she says, standing up as she starts to get tense.

"Our crew?" He says, putting emphasis on the first word. He scoffs, and the sound only makes Pink angrier. "No, no way. This is your crew, Pink, I'm just- I'm a random Impostor. You can't seriously think we're friends, or that we ever will be, right? You know I almost killed three of your friends?"

Pink bites her lip, calculating her next words. "I-I know what you are," she says. "But Teal, Purple, and Green are fine. Can't people change?"

"Okay, and what if I don't want to change?" He asks, standing up and pointing a finger against his chest. "What about how /I/ feel about this? What if when this is all over and we get back to the moon, I get penalized for this entire mess, and you go back to being that happy-go-lucky pink little tic-tac with her own show. We'll both move on. I don't know what you see in me, but you need to stop thinking I'm someone I'm not."

Pink stays uncomfortably quiet, not moving. White sits down, and when he finally looks up at her, and he's never seen someone look so hurt in his life.

"I can't change your mind," she says quietly. "But once we get back to the moon, I hope you know I won't forget you. This experience has taught me that every Impostor deserves better."

White laughs. "Did you feel that way when you brutally murdered my mother?" He chokes out, tilting his head at Pink and standing back up. "Tell me, Pink, did it feel really good to stab her in the throat and watch my mom die?" He jabs a finger against her chest, and strangely enough, Pink has never seen him look so alive. His eyes practically look like they're on fire.

"W-What?" She asks, giving him an exasperated look. "What are you on about?"

White crosses his arms. "Don't act all stupid and innocent. I saw you on the report, Pink. I memorized your serial number, the way you talked, everything you do. I know exactly who you are, and I will never be your friend."

"You saved me back there with Black!" She argues. 

"So they wouldn't take my job away!" He shoots back. "You think they'll forgive me if I let you die?"

"I won't stop trying to be your friend!" She cries, grabbing his arm when he starts to turn. Her leg burns. "White, you can't- Why won't you just explain what you mean?"

"I don't like liars," White says bitterly. "So either you admit you killed her, and I try not to rip your head off, or- Or something else," he trails off. "Crewmates act all innocent, but when you really think about it, you're no different than all the rest of us. Just admit it."

"White, I didn't kill your mom!" Pink yells. 

"Liar! I saw the report, I heard it all over the news, before you became some hot-shot, giant crew with your own TV show. I know which Pink took my mom's life, and it's you!" He yells back, heart pounding. Pink shakes her head. "Serial number SB0321. That was you."

Pink's eyes widen as she wipes them, staring at the ground. "What?"

"I already know it was y-"

"White, read my serial number," Pink says quietly. 

"No."

She turns around so he can see her back, where her serial number is imprinted into the suit. White eyes it carefully. "What'd I say? You-" He stops mid-sentence, rereading the number over and over again, feeling frozen in place.

"It... It says SB0421." Pink turns around again to face him, nodding once, looking into his eyes. "You..."

"You didn't kill my mom."


	9. Mom Taught Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 9.8k hits!
> 
> also, i was asked if this fic would have a happy ending... i cannot confirm nor deny anything :) we still have a long way to go, folks, there's slowburn in the tags for a reason.

When White was six years old, his mother signed him up for a pseudo Impostor game. They had plenty of those centers all around his town; some random parent who was tired of taking care of their kid would drop them off there, and aspiring Impostors and Crewmates would play a fake game of Among Us. The name of the game originated hundreds of years ago; nobody quite remembers how it came to be. But either way, White remembers the first time he ever went there very, very, vividly. It's imprinted in his brain.

"Okay, so here is what's gonna happen," his mother said cheerfully, giving his hand a light squeeze as she crouched down to his level. He stared at her with his big eyes, surprised by the wonders of the outside world. "Mommy has to go to work, okay? So I'm going to leave you here for a couple of hours and you're gonna have a lot of fun!" Her tone was enthusiastic, but also aggressive. "And you make sure that no matter what, you don't become friends with any of those brainwashed Crewmates. You play the game with them, and you beat them no matter what."

White frowned at her, cocking his head. She wasn't making any sense. "Mom, why can't I talk to the Crewmates?" He asked, the last word sounding more like 'cwewmate.' His mom tsked, shaking her head.

"Those people have parents who... don't understand this world. They don't think the same way we do, honey." She smiles again. "You don't want to be a Crewmate like them, do you? You know what happens to Crewmates. They live sad, boring lives, thinking they're so much better than everyone despite being dirty little rats." Her tone becomes more aggressive with each word, and White breathes heavily. She's beginning to crush his hand. She looks back up at him, angry now. "Do you understand that, White?"

"B-But mommy, what if I want to be a Crewmate?" He asks cautiously, scared of her reaction. He didn't know what they were, or what they did, but what if he wanted to be just like them? 

His mom shook her head, giving him the most disgusted look White had ever seen. "I'd disown you," she says, plain and simple. "Mommy is going to become the best Impostor in the world. And after that, you're gonna follow my legacy. You're gonna have kids of your own with a pretty Impostor, and you two will be the best little Impostor family in the world." White shakes his head internally at the thought of doing that. "If you ever say something about being a Crewmate ever again, I just might have to ship you off to a special place where they'll happily teach you all about the life of those rats." She spits out the last word, and her eyes drift up to meet her sons. "Got that?"

White nods vigorously, scared for his life and just wanting his mom to let go of his hand, which he's pretty sure he heard crack just a minute ago. His mom softens her grip on him, and the firey look she had just moments ago turns back to cheerful when someone steps outside. A woman with blonde hair and soft blue eyes looks down at him.

"Oh, what a precious little kid you have!" She says to his mom, giving him a beaming smile. "What's your name, dear?"

"W-White," he says carefully. She nods, writing something down onto a clipboard before looking back up to his mother.

"Is that the color he chose?" She asks, looking down at White. "It's a fairly common one. Is it your favorite color, kiddo? Is that why you chose it?" Her tone is sweeter than sugar, and he wishes he could hear it all the time.

His mom gives the blonde woman a dirty look. "It's a family legacy," she says. "I'm not gonna have my child change his colors. He was born this way, he'll stay that way." The blonde frowns, but quickly corrects it with a small smile, writing again on the clipboard. 

"And you?" White asks slowly, looking up at her with humongous eyes. His white hair is all messy on his head. "What's your name?" He corrects himself before his mom has a chance to bring it up later and yell at him for not clarifying.

She leans down a bit and gets onto his level. Her nails are painted a lovely color, he notices. "I'm Pink! This is my normal form, so people can tell me apart from others." She pulls her braid over her shoulder. "I chose blonde hair, as it's my mom's color. So I can always think of her."

White nods. "Is your mommy a nice person?" He asks. His mom gives him a dirty look, clearly wanting to get this over with, but Pink seems happy to answer the question.

"Oh, she's lovely. She shows up sometimes to give us all pastries. If you ever come by again, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you!" She stands up again before White can say anything, turning back to his mom. "And does he have any preferred name besides his color?"

"White is fine," she says sharply, crossing her arms. Pink nods, jotting something down again. White has no idea how she writes so fast.

"Alright, kiddo! Do you want to be an Impostor or Crewmate for the first round?" She asks in that soft yet cheerful tone. 

His mom cuts in before he even has the chance to process the question. "He'll be an Impostor for every round. If I find out you made him a Crewmate, we'll have issues, blondie." She recoils from the nickname, looking surprised.

"I told you my name," she says in a painfully fake polite tone. "It's Pink. If you call me anything except that or disrespect your son's right to choose what he wants to be, we're gonna have issues, whitey." 

His mom gasps, but Pink keeps her polite look, giving her a small head tilt with a big smile. "Why would you speak to me in that tone? There is absolutely nothing wrong with me wanting my son to become an Impostor. If you-"

"I think I'll let him decide what he wants to do. Now, why don't you run along to your job, ma'am?" She motions to a limo in the distance; his mom's ride to work. She gives Pink an ice-cold stare. Pink returns it with glowing eyes and a beaming smile that could outshine the sun itself.

"I'll be telling your manager about this."

"I am the manager, ma'am. See you after work! Have a good one!" His mom just looks more shocked, but turns around, walking away. She looks back down at White. "Your mom sure is a character, isn't she, sweetheart? Anyway, let's go inside! Do you want any snacks?"

Pink continues talking like that for the rest of the way around the building, giving White a tour. The main area is where they play Among Us, and there's already a game in the process when he walks in, so they quietly step around it. It looks like fun; White catches a glimpse of one of the kids, a Blue, tackling a Yellow, and both of them burst into laughter before Yellow plays dead. Pink is nice to be around; she brings light wherever she goes, she's kind, and she calls White sweet nicknames like 'sweetheart' or 'kiddo' or 'kid that's quiet, but bright' when other employees ask about the new kid. She rarely ever actually calls him his color; he likes it. 

"Anddd this is the snack room! After each game, we like to come in here, have something to eat, and talk about the round." She takes a cookie from the table and hands it to White. "Little secret. Your dad told me chocolate chip is your favorite, so I made sure to get an extra box before you came."

He looks up at her, eating the cookie, crumbs around his mouth. "My daddy? You talked to him?"

"I sure did!" She says, taking a red velvet cookie for herself. "I called your mom and she said you liked broccoli, but that probably isn't true, is it?" He shakes his head. His mom always wants him to eat healthily, and it drives him nuts sometimes. "So I got your dad's number. He was in the middle of a game, but I'm glad he answered."

White has finished his cookie. Pink hands him an orange, and he takes it happily. "A-A game? What game was daddy playing?" He asks curiously. Pink pops another slice into her mouth, dusting off her hands.

"Among Us!" She says. White reaches up onto the table for another cookie while she speaks, and grabs hold of something sharp; a knife. He sticks it into his suit pocket. It's shiny; maybe his mom will like it. Pink continues talking. "There's a real version of the game. I'm sure you already know, but it's for bigger kids like me! I'm a Crewmate, and so is your dad. We were on the same Crew once when our original White was sick, so your dad filled in for him. He was really nice." 

"My daddy is a Crewmate?" White asks, again pronouncing his 'r' as a 'w.' Pink doesn't yell at him for his lisp, though, she just laughs lightly. 

"Yep. And I'll tell you a little secret; he's one of the best I've ever played with. Sure is a shame the Impostor for today was a Pink, because I would've gladly gone with him." She sighs, leaning against the counter. "Anyway! I'm sure you're eager to play, aren't you? I think this round is over. I know your mom said you had to be an Impostor, but-"

White interrupts her. "I'll be an Impostor," he says shyly. Pink nods hesitantly, leading them back out to the arena. 

"Alright, kiddos! It's time for a new game!" She yells, and children come tumbling out of the area, giggling like crazy. Pink pushes White in with the rest of the crowd, giving him a reassuring wink. "You'll blend in just fine! Just have fun." She turns back to the crowd. "I'm gonna assign you your roles! Remember the rules, no pushing, no shoving, no yelling, no punching, just lots of having fun! If you're the Impostor all you have to do is tap your victim's shoulder. NOT tackle them to the ground." She looks over to Blue and Yellow and gives them a look, and the two of them start giggling, which makes her smile. "Remember to be safe and have fun! If you get a boo-boo at anytime, the adult colors and I are here to help. Once the Impostor has taken out everyone, the round's over." She pauses, scanning the crowd, then goes around and whispers everyone's role into their ear. "Alright! Start!"

Everyone runs into the arena, and right away, White regrets ever coming. He misses when it was just him and Pink inside the snack room. The arena is big and empty and scary, and even though he's an Impostor, he doesn't know what he's doing. He just has to tag people, right? That's what he tells himself, running around the area.

When he runs into Purple, he taps them lightly, and they turn around, giving him a surprised look. "Oh, you're the Impostor!" They yell loudly. White cringes. "Oops, sorry! Okay, I'm dead now, I'm dead. Staying quiet as a corpse." White can't help but giggle at that, quickly running away. The start of the game was scary, but maybe it'll actually be fun.

He manages to take out three more colors before Red calls an emergency meeting. It sets off a quiet alarm that blares for ten seconds while everyone gets to their seats. White sits at the table, sitting casually, not raising any suspicion. Just like he saw his mother do whenever she's on the real Among Us show. Lower their suspicion. 

"Three of our colors are out!" Red says loudly, pressing a fist against the table. The table, made of something that can't be anything stronger than cardboard, doesn't even tremble. "Who was it?"

"It wasn't me!" Yellow argues right away.

"Suspicious! You stole my fruit snacks last week, too!" Red responds, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "Who thinks Yellow is suspicious?" Everyone raises their hand. Yellow starts crying, but Red shows no mercy. "You're voted out! You were the Impostor, weren't you?" 

She walks out of the arena, still crying. "It wasn't me," she says with a 'hmph.' Red blinks slowly at her, looking shocked.

"Aww, I could've sworn it was her!" He says disappointedly. The other colors nod in agreement. White sits quietly. "Hey, you, with the weird hair. You're a White, right? Why aren't you saying anything?"

White cocks his head. "Because you were wrong," he says simply. "You accused her with no proof that she had actually done anything wrong. That is why I think it's important to vote based on facts and evidence, and not on personal opinions."

Red gives him the most disgusted look a six-year-old can possibly give. "Ew, are you a nerd or something? Who votes based on facts and... whatever you said." 

"Evidence," White says quietly. He sighs, standing up. "I'm gonna go finish my tasks. You all should do the same." He turns down the hall, feeling like his heart is about to beat out of his chest. That was scary. They might suspect him now. He continues to look around the place, struggling to find anyone to take down, before finally running into an Orange.

They're working on some wiring when White sneaks up and taps them hard on the shoulder. They turn around and frown, then gasp. "Impostor!" They yell, and White freezes. "I found the Impostor! Hey, the Impostor is here!"

"You're cheating! I'm about to win!" White says angrily, trying to cover their mouth. They lick his hand, and he yelps, recoiling back in disgust. "Are you insane? Stop yelling, cheater!"

"Impostor!" He yells, showing no signs of stopping. White feels like time has stopped as he tries to find a solution to this. He can't find a rational one. 'What would mommy do?' He wonders, thinking back to the countless hours she forced him to watch and take notes on how she played as an Impostor before she allowed him to do anything else. What would she do?

'She would kill them.'

So he does.

White lunges forward, reaching into his suit and whipping out the knife he grabbed earlier. He doesn't remember much after that. He does know that the round quickly stopped, the kids were all sent home, and Orange had to go to the hospital. Pink gave him the saddest look he'd ever seen, while his mother looked emotionless, maybe save for the hint of pride on her face.

Orange's father came in just as White and his mom were leaving, overhearing the conversation. White felt ashamed, but he was just doing what his mom taught him to do; Orange was cheating. They should've known not to cheat.

"Who's running this place?" Orange's dad had yelled at Pink, who was staring at the ground shamefully.

"Me, sir. I am so, so sorry. I'll pay for the surgery needed to help Oran-"

"What's your serial number?" He spits out. "I'm reporting you to the police. Putting this on your record." White wanted to stand up and go over, defend her to the best of his abilities; but what could he do? He was six, and his mothers grip on his hand told him he wasn't going anywhere. He listened as the man yelled at Pink.

"SB0321," she said, lip quivering.

White forgot the number. He never forgot that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this ~blast from the past~ about White's life. as always feel free to leave a comment, they're what keeps me writing.


	10. Why Do You Miss Her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 10.5k hits!

White is awoken from the memory of his past when someone lightly shakes his shoulders, making him wake up and come to. His eyes blur, and it takes a moment for them to focus on the brightly colored blob in front of him; Pink. She has a soft smile on her face, looking tired and energized at the same time. "Hey. You're finally awake," she says in a gentle tone. White rubs his eyes, groaning. "You slept for sixteen hours."

"Sixteen?!" He yells, jumping up, giving Pink a wide-eyed expression of shock. She nods, not looking surprised in the slightest. "How does someone even sleep for that long?" He grumbles. Pink snickers behind her hand. Her suit is still torn and broken, but the bandage on her thigh is clean, no blood soaking through, which tells him she's been taking care of it. He can't believe she let him sleep for so long.

Pink rests on her hand, shifting a bit. White is sitting in a sleeping bag on the floor, someone's jacket as a pillow. "You were really tired," Pink says in a strangely optimistic tone. Her face looks a bit cleaner, the cafeteria doesn't have trash anywhere, and the ship is moving steadily beneath them. "I think you just needed time to process... What I told you about yesterday."

She looks at the ground, and White feels a pang of guilt hit him. "I-I don't know how to feel in all honesty," he says, cursing his stutter. "But it feels nice to know that... It wasn't you. That's actually why I wanted to come onto this show. I wanted to avenge my mom." Pink frowns, and White feels bad knowing he caused that. He pushes away the feeling; why does he still care so much? 'You yelled at her just yesterday! Make up your mind, dude!'

"I just don't understand," Pink says questioningly. "I mean, your mom sounded like... She sounded like a horrible person. Someone who should never become a mother or parent," she says. "Everyone knew your mom once she became popular. I mean, she's in history as one of the greatest Impostors to ever exist," Pink says with a light laugh. "I get that she's your mom, but I just... I don't get it."

White pauses, sitting up in the sleeping bag. "Pink, who are your parents?" He asks, diverting from the topic, but not necessarily to avoid it. Pink gives him a confused look.

"My moms, and my older sister," she says. "Why do you ask?"

"I had... this dream," he begins carefully, unsure if he should go into detail. "Well, it was more of a memory. When I was eight, my mom put me into this weird game of Among Us, but for dumb toddlers." Pink grins.

"I remember that," she says fondly. "Not to brag, but I was the best Crewmate ever. I remember when I lost, my mom would be watching from the sidelines and tell me how I could improve, but also what I did well. I haven't talked to her in a month or so... But I know she's proud of me." She looks back at White. "Sorry for going off-topic. What were you saying?"

White didn't realize he was getting immersed in her voice and story. "Oh, yeah. So, she dropped me off, she never stayed to watch." Pink's expression drops at that, but she stays quiet. "There was... a little incident when I went there." Pink is giving him a look that yells 'spit it out' but she stays quiet, not wanting to rush him. "I basically stabbed this kid and he had to get surgery. I don't know if he made it." He whispers the last bit.

"That's... That's horrible, White," Pink says truthfully. "But you were just a kid, right? You didn't know any better than what your mom taught you," she says. White meets her eyes, surprised that she's taking his side. "I'm sorry. I don't know if it's my place to talk about how your mom raised you."

White waves it off. "I should get back to your original question, shouldn't I?" He asks, and Pink nods gently. "I don't know why I loved my mom so much. In all honesty, I agree with you about how she shouldn't have been a parent. She wasn't fit to be a parent, and she never thought about how I felt or what I wanted. Everything in her life was just Impostor, Impostor, Impostor. She always told me that I wasn't good for anything else." Pink flinches. White continues. "I remember when I was younger, I saw you guys on a TV screen. I knew that no matter what, I wanted to be just like you all. So, I started going behind my mom's back. Training to be an Impostor by day, and studying your show by night."

"So you've been a fan since day one?" Pink asks, amused. White smiles, throwing the jacket at her head. She yelps, blocking it. "Mercy, mercy! I'll shut up now!" She says, still laughing, and White does the same, almost like hers is contagious.

"Well- Anyway," he says, still getting out the last of his laugh. "I guess it was because she was all I had. I didn't have friends because my life was consumed with training to be an Impostor. My mom was obsessed with every little aspect of my life." He pauses. "Maybe that's why I wanted to be a Crewmate; it let me finally go against what she wanted and do something that I liked. That was... until she died."

Pink looks at the floor. "You thought it was me all this time?" She asks.

"When my mom died, I didn't really inspect the facts," he says truthfully. "I was just overtaken with anger that someone had hurt her. And all my life, all I had ever been was a nuisance to her, who couldn't even do what she wanted me to do," he says, a tinge of hurt in his tone.

Pink shakes her head. "You weren't a nuisance, you were a child, and she wasn't fit to be raising you." White meets her eyes, his tired but hers filled with passion. "I don't care what she told you. If there's anything I've learned from this, it's that not every Impostor is the same."

"Even after everything, you still believe in me? Even after I opened up to you, then pushed you away, and acted like an asshole... You're still nice to me?" He asks, and Pink nods as if it's the most simple thing in the world. 

"You can change your fate," she says. "You're more than your past."

"I think it's a bit late for that," he says, trying to laugh, but it comes out as more of a broken cough. "I'm an Impostor, Pink."

"And I'm a Crewmate, yet here we are, becoming friends," she says. White raises an eyebrow.

"Friends?" He asks. She nods. "Friends. I think I like that."

Pink smiles. "Good, because you don't have a say in the matter." White actually laughs this time. Pink enjoys the sound. 

"My first real friend ever, huh?" White asks. "My mom would riot anytime I spoke to other kids. Even if they were trying to be an Impostor like me, she didn't want there to be the possibility of me getting distracted. I don't know how she ever expected me to have a nice Impostor wife with our own kids if I never actually spoke to anyone else."

Pink nods thoughtfully. "Wow, so she was one of those parents. Really controlling, yet still got surprised when you had nobody to hang out with or no friends?" White nods.

"How would you know?" He asks, but it isn't aggressive, just curious.

"Oh, I don't," she says truthfully. "I grew up with my moms and my older sister, and they were the best. All three of them supported me no what I wanted to do. I remember considering being an Impostor, but then my older sister became a Crewmate, and it was magical watching her on-screen and hearing the cool stories from work. I just wanted to help people to the best of my abilities."

"Sounds like a dream," he says. "My mom married my dad. He quit his job to become a Crewmate, so she divorced him, and then he was gone."

"I'm sorry," Pink replies.

"Not your fault. I'm glad you had a good family," he says, and silence hangs heavily in the air. White clears his throat. "So, if it wasn't you, then... Do you know why everyone said it was you?" He asks.

Pink shifts uncomfortably, but starts speaking before White can say 'nevermind.' "I remember... I couldn't have been more than fourteen at the time. Our show was skyrocketing, it was doing so well. But, remember how I said my sister was a Crewmate?" She asks. White nods. "...My sister is the one who killed your mom. I went into work that day to record a new episode, and I walked in to see my sister just crying her eyes out." She looks off into the distance as if to help her remember better. "She told me she had killed an Impostor. I said I'd take the blame for her. She told me not to, that it was a horrible idea, but there wasn't much she could do to stop me. Technically, I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but I feel like you have a right to know."

White sits silently as she speaks, unsure of what to even say. "You're a really good sister, doing that for her," he says truthfully. "Then why is your serial num-"

"They released the serial number of the killer, then said it was me. I guess since our serial numbers are only a number apart, nobody suspected anything," Pink interrupts. She looks back down at White. "Anyways, I hope that answers a few questions."

White nods. "It does," he says. "What is your sister doing today?"

Pinks expression falls. "She um... She actually went missing three months ago," Pink says quietly. "She left a note, said she was gonna try starting a new life, and I haven't seen her since." White doesn't say anything. "It's fine. Her and I kind of drifted apart, so it doesn't bother me much."

"...Yeah, alright," he says reluctantly. He's not good at this. "I hope she... comes back one day."

"Probably awkward, considering she... Yeah," Pink says, playing with her hands. "Well, if you're still tired, you can go back to sleep. I just wanted to make sure you knew the full story. I'm gonna go check on the others."

"I'll come with you," White says, standing up and messing with his hair. Pink smiles at him.

"Okay." She turns and walks down the hallway, and White follows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed more of a peaceful chapter, and prepare yourself for hell in chapter 12. as always feel free to leave a comment, i love talking to you guys!


	11. Saturn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 13k! enjoy the chapter :)

The group seems to have split up all over the ship, but it doesn't take long for Pink and White to go to every area and find everyone before gathering them all back into the cafeteria. Red sits with his chin resting on his hand, seeming too calm for his own good, while Orange looks about five seconds away from crying. Pink and White sit next to eachother, and the others sit quietly, listening intently to what they have to say. There's still a bright pink handprint on Red's face; White cringes at it.

"Uh, I don't really..." Pink trails off, voice hoarse. She clears her throat and continues again. "We need to talk about what we're gonna do to get back to the moon. That's our main priority, right?" She asks. The others all seem to nod slowly, but White knows by the defeat in their eyes that they're all just as confused as he is.

White takes charge for them. "Why don't we land at the nearest planet?" He suggests. Blue frowns, then immediately objects the idea.

"The nearest planet is Saturn. We could land there, but you know what they say about the people there..." He pauses. Pink quirks an eyebrow, but before she can ask what he means, he starts speaking again. "They're not very welcoming of visitors." Silence, yet again, and he sighs. "They would brutally fucking murder us, guys. Not to mention how dangerous it could be to try and land the ship; it's broken down, after all."

Pink flinches, but Yellow cuts in. "The only other planet Uranus, and it's too far away. It'd be another week or so. We're right above Saturn; I say we take the risk." 

White shakes his head. "Alright, if it's our only option, I say we go there. But there must be something else."

"There isn't much else we can do. We don't have nearly enough supplies for Purple and Teal to last a whole week, and Green hasn't even woken up yet. We could try some of the smaller planets surrounding Saturn, but they probably won't have anything on them," Orange says, fidgeting nervously. "We should do what we can. And right now, that's landing this ship on a potentially dangerous Planet."

Pink crosses her arms, listening, but she hasn't disagreed with anything yet. "Alright, then," she says. "Everyone, state what we should do, and we'll take a vote."

"I say we land on one of the smaller planets," Red says. "They must have something useful on 'em."

Yellow frowns. "Is this really a fair vote without everyone?" 

"Just say what you want us to do, Yellow," White says tiredly. 

Yellow nods. "I say we wait until we can reach Uranus. It'll take longer, but it'll be less dangerous than landing on Saturn and having to deal with who-knows-what."

Pink joins in. "Well, I think we should go with what White said; land on the nearest planet and hope for the best. There's no guarantee the rest of the crew will survive if we don't act now," she says. Slowly, the others at the table nod. The voting goes smoothly, or as smoothly as it can go; Pink shuts down any arguments as soon as they start. Eventually, they all decide that landing on the nearest planet, Saturn, is the best idea.

"What do we do now?" White asks as everyone stands up and heads to where they need to go. Pink starts walking towards navigation, motioning for White to join her, so he does, following close behind. They must have done a much deeper cleaning when he was asleep; the walls are freed of any blood or other stains, the floors are clean, and the storage boxes are neatly stacked again. White catches a glimpse down the hall as they walk to where they fought Black; he still lays there, untouched, and White's stomach churns. 

Pink opens the door, entering navigation and taking a seat at one of the chairs. White sits at the other one. "We're above Saturn right now," she says. "But there are a few problems we need to take into consideration before we do anything. First of all, this ship is broken down; when they gave it to us, it was meant to be fixed by us. So already, landing this thing is a bad idea because anything could malfunction at any time. We did finish our tasks, but that alone isn't exactly enough."

White nods, leaning back in the chair as she speaks. "So, we have a lot of risks, correct? But we also have a big reward; potential safety and access to help," she continues. "I've been to Saturn a few times, at least before it was run-over with Impostors and other deadly creatures. It has some safe spaces; we just have to reach them. But once we've done that, we can finally reach out for help, get back to the moon, and go back to our lives."

"Do you really want to?" White asks. She looks up, biting her lip.

"I don't know," she says. "But what can we do about it, really? This is the way society is. We can't just get rid of Among Us, or the stigma surrounding Impostors," she says matter-of-factly, and it hurts because White knows she's right. He looks down, and she lifts his head up with her pointer fingers, making their eyes meet. "Hey. Whatever happens, when we get back, I'll try to defend you."

White forces himself not to reply with something rude or snarky. She's trying, and she's done more for him than he can ever even hope to repay. The least he can do is try to be equally as kind. "Alright," he says simply. "I'll keep your word on that." A defensive way of saying 'I trust you.' Pink smiles.

"Good. Now, let's focus on finding a way to land this ship. We're right above Saturn right now, so it shouldn't be too hard..." She mumbles, walking back to the control panel and hitting what looks like random buttons, but White trusts she knows what she's doing. She stands at first, but then sits down, sighing. "This is harder than I thought. I thought we fixed all the wiring in electrical, but it still isn't going through... It might take a minute." White closes his eyes, not very interested in the logistics of how they're gonna land this thing, just anxious for it to finally happen. Pink looks over to him. "Do you know anything about this?"

White removes his hands from where they're tucked behind his head, giving her a confused look. "Me? Why would I know anything, Pink?"

"Well, you played Crewmate before as a kid, right?" She asks, looking equally as confused. White shakes his head. "Why not?"

He laughs, but there's no humor behind the sound. "You know why. My mom didn't want me to."

"But everyone had to play Crewmate, at least once, right? She never took you back to another Among Us place again?" White shakes his head again, thinking it's the simplest thing in the world, but Pink has never seemed more confused. "Jeez. Alright then. But even if you never did, you still don't know anything about how to land this thing?" She asks. 

White shakes his head for the umpteenth time. "Pink, really, I don't know what I'm doing."

She blinks. "You should."

"I agree," he says, but then leans back in his seat, shifting to get more comfortable. Pink purses her lips and goes back to the controls, still trying, and failing, to figure out how to land it without killing them all. After another half an hour of mindless mumbles and silent curses, she groans, standing up and rubbing her temples. "This is getting us nowhere. I can't land the ship when it's broken unless I hit the emergency landing, which is dangerous as hell."

White stands up, inspecting the panel. "Why isn't it working?" He asks.

"Because the ship is broken."

"Fix it, then."

Pink rolls her eyes. "Oh, gee, thanks. I wish I had thought of that before. You sure are a genius, White Einstein," she responds sarcastically. White rolls his eyes this time in return, clicking a couple of keys on the control panel. "What are you doing?!" She yells, lunging for the panel, but White has already done it.

"How stupid can you get? You didn't click the 'start coding' button before doing anything," he says, stepping back at gesturing at the now lit-up keyboard. 

"I did!" She says, then sighs. "I must have clicked the wrong button." A pause. White gives her a knowing look, and she sighs. "Thanks, White."

"I thought my name was White Einstein?" He teases, and she slaps his arm, shoving him away. He laughs, going back to his own seat. He didn't know how to work the navigation, but he'd definitely watched over the shoulders of potential victims before. He's surprised he managed to get it before Pink did.

The ship surges forward after a minute or two, and Pink grips the chair handle. "Oh. Turbo speed. This'll get us further over Saturn and help us avoid landing in the black void of normal space."

"What's Saturn like?" White asks, bored from not having a normal conversation. Even if it is Pink and things are still strange and uncertain between them, he can't deny that he enjoys talking to her sometimes. Pink seems happy to engage in a conversation.

"Oh... It's cold," she says, then goes quiet, the only noise being of keyboard clicks. White glares at her, motioning for her to continue when she looks over. Pink laughs nervously. "Um. I guess it's pretty. Your footprints stay indented in the land... I bet if I went to where we stayed before, I'd be able to still see our footprints and where we laid down. We had a makeshift... campsite, if you will. I just remember that it was really chilly and felt weird all the time. You can take your suit off there; it has air we can breathe." White raises a brow at that news, and she nods excitedly. "Saturn is pretty cool once you're on it. Fun to stargaze on, too, because you can see them up-close in space. Have you ever been to Mars?"

White nods. "I went when I was two, or so my dad told me once. I don't remember it at all, but I think we were in the north section of it." Pink grimaces.

"Yikes. Lots of air pollution there," she says, and then pauses her typing and coding, looking far-off. Her eyes twinkle. "My moms took me there often. We visited a lot of different places on Mars. It gets hot really easily, though, and those with human forms aren't allowed on it because it'll melt the-"

White's eyes widen, and he interrupts her before she can continue. "Do you have a human form now?" He asks.

Pink shakes her head. "Oh, hell no. They cost, what, $900,000 to get them done, plus a whole year of recovery and training? No thanks. My moms never wanted me to do it. Not that we could afford it even if we did want to. They gave it to my sister instead," she says. "What was I saying? Oh, yeah. We went stargazing a couple of times from down there, but the stars look really small and far away. I guess they're kind of the same way in Space, but up here, they shine differently."

"I would say you're right if I could even remember what Mars is like," he laughs. "I haven't been to many planets. I spent most of my childhood training to be an Impostor. I never really got to do much else," he says truthfully. Pink gives him a sympathetic look. He hates it. He hates when people feel bad for him, especially Pink. "Don't give me that look. It wasn't that bad."

"You really never had any friends, or went anywhere?" She asks. "I can't imagine living like that. I don't know where I'd be without my friends or sister." White looks at the floor, tapping his fingers on the armrest awkwardly, and Pink frowns. "Shit, sorry. I didn't mean to rub it in."

"You're fine," he says. An awkward silence envelopes the room, and Pink doesn't move, muscles tense. White clears his throat after a minute. "Uh, you should get back to navigating this thing. This ship isn't gonna land itself," he says jokingly, and Pink just chuckles awkwardly before turning back to the panel. He sits in silence for who knows how long, waiting for something, anything, to happen. No good news comes from Pink for a long time.

Finally, after about an hour, she leans back in her seat and stretches, yawning. "I think I've done all I can. The ship will start landing automatically in about ten minutes." She yawns again, before White can even say anything, and he stares at her. She smiles sheepishly. "Sorry. Tired. I hate having to do all this coding. Usually fixing the navigation just means straightening the steering wheel and fixing some of the buttons. We never actually have to land the ships, because they don't take off. You probably knew that. I need to stop babbling."

"You should get some rest," White says, not looking up from the random magazine he had picked up a few minutes ago. Pink shakes her head. 

"I can't. The ship is gonna land and-" She's cut off by someone practically breaking the door down, and she jumps. White pats around his suit for a knife right away, coming up empty. Thankfully, it's just Yellow standing at the door. He catches his breath for a moment. Pink stares at him with wide eyes. "What the hell, Yellow?!"

Yellow looks up. "Green is awake!" 

White and Pink yell in unison. "What?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! as always, feel free to leave a comment.
> 
> also, my life has been getting hectic lately, please forgive me if chapters start coming out a bit slower :(


	12. A New Low

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *content warning for mature language, mentions of violence, and mentions of death this chapter!*

Pink is already shoving past Yellow before the other color can react and sprinting down the hallway as fast as someone with an injured leg can. White mumbles a small 'sorry' before running after her towards Medbay. Pink has already swung open the door rather violently before he makes it, and he stands by her side in the doorway.

"Holy shit. Is the ship on fire?" Green jokes, sitting up on his elbows with a bandage wrapped around his head. Pink heaves a sigh of relief, relaxing her tense muscles and stepping quickly to envelop him in an awkward side-hug, as he's still laying on the bed. She can feel Green smile against the embrace.

She squeezes him one last time before pulling away, sighing again, whether to catch her breath or because she's just that relieved, White doesn't know. "You idiot. You're actually so dumb."

"Sheesh, nice to see you, too," Green jokes. Pink swats him gently, as if afraid he'll shatter like glass at the slightest touch.

"Do you know how worried I was? All of us weren't sure if you'd even wake up," she says, then hugs him again, just because she can. "Next time, sharpen your senses. You never know when someones sneaking up on you."

"They were so quiet though!" Green says defensively, and Pink pulls away again, smiling. White still stands awkwardly in the doorway, being watched carefully by Blue and Red. "Seriously. I'm always able to sense people behind me, but-" He pauses then, frowning. "Why are... Purple and Teal...?"

He gestures to the bodies, and Pink looks over, her happy expression dropping. "Oh. You didn't hear yet," she says, and Green nods, mumbling a small 'obviously.' "The game is over. We, uh, know who the Impostor is."

Green looks a bit relieved. "Oh. So where are we? This looks a lot like the Medbay from our ship, actually."

"We're on the ship, still," Pink explains quietly. Green's eyes widen. "Yeah. And it's flying." He looks even more shocked now. "Oh, and that guy standing in the doorway looking creepy? That's White. The Impostor."

White stops trying to find words to describe Green's expression, because none can. "You-?" He asks, pointing to him. White waves, because he doesn't know what else to do. "You gave me a concussion and all you have to do is wave?"

"...Yeah?" He says tiredly. He takes a tentative step forward, still aware of all the eyes on him. Pink moves out of the way so he can put his hand out to Green. "Boy, this is awkward. Look, I'm sorry I whacked you in the head and kicked your kneecaps."

Pink kicks him in the shin. He elbows her in the gut. "Ow! That's no way to apologize, White!"

"What? I said sorry!"

"Yeah, in the most sarcastic tone I've ever heard!" She says, sounding like a mother scolding her child. "You gave him a concussion. That's really rude."

"I'm an Impostor, Pink! What did you want me to do, ask him out for tea-?"

"God, shut up! You sound like an old married couple!" Green says, covering his ears and cringing. White feels his face burn. Pink frowns. Both of their heads turn when they see Blue laughing. 

Pink whacks him on the shoulder. "Don't laugh!" White hides his face in his hands, then takes in a deep breath while Pink tries not to beat the life out of Blue. He looks back up at Green.

"Do you want an apology or not?" He asks.

"Oh, I do. I just wanted to embarrass you first. And maybe hear the story behind why you guys didn't eject him?" Red, Pink, and Blue all look back over. Red is holding Pink back while Blue desperately tries to stop laughing. He coughs and clears his throat. Red reluctantly puts her down on the ground, and she huffs a breath.

She comes back over to Green's side, taking a seat. "Buckle up. It's a long story."

──

"...and now we're all sitting in the Medbay, doing this," Pink finishes in a long breath. Green looks half asleep. White started playing with a random tennis ball he found on the floor, throwing it back and forth with Red, while Blue actually is asleep on the ground. He has no idea where the others went.

Green rubs his eyes, sitting up on his elbows, then wincing. "Alright. If you say we can trust him, I'll take your word for it, Pink," he says after a moment. "But the minute Mr. Impostor here tries anything funny-"

"What do I even have to gain from hurting you all any further?" White asks defensively, exhausted from constantly having to argue about his existence. He throws the ball a bit harder, but Red catches it anyway, throwing it back with equal strength. He scowls.

Green narrows his eyes at White. "I don't know," he says quietly. "For all we know you could be plotting something. You could've been working with Black."

"How could you even suggest that?" White asks, turning to him and clenching the ball in his fist. "Black is dead! Why would I want my own colleague killed?" Pink rubs her temples.

"Maybe you planned it! Maybe you thought that hurting Pink's thigh would somehow kill her, and-"

"Enough!" Pink yells, stomping her good foot and wobbling on her injured leg. She rubs her eyes tiredly. "I'm so done arguing about this. I wouldn't do anything to endanger any of you, okay?" She says. 

Green chews his lip. "Pink, you trust too easily. Trusting others is a bad decision, especially when you do it."

Pink looks extremely hurt at that, visibly flinching. White frowns. "It was one time," she says. "And it won't happen again. I know we can trust him."

"Yeah? That's what you said before, too," Green says sharply.

Blue jumps in just as Pink looks like she's gonna burst into tears. "Alright, enough. It's been months, Green, and it's low to bring that back up."

"I just think-"

"You heard him," White says, not understanding at all what they're talking about, but trying anyway. "Pink, let's go. Green should get some rest. Don't forget to change that bandage in a few hours, Red." He takes Pink by the hand and leads both of them out into the hallway, closing the door to the Medbay and staring at her.

Pink blinks at him, their faces inches apart when White leans down and shakes his head as if to say 'i'm waiting for you to explain.' Pink stays silent before eventually blurting out, "what? What do you want?"

"Explain," White says, crossing his arms and standing back up to practically tower over her. "What was Green talking about?"

Pink grits her teeth. "I don't think it's important."

"I do," he says, trying to convince himself he's just curious, that he doesn't actually care. "Aren't you the one who said we should be closer friends?"

"Well- I mean, I guess I-"

White nods. "That's what friends do," he says. A pause. "Tell each other stuff." Another pause, and this one stretches out for far too long. He wonders if Pink is thinking about the fact that he's never had any friends. "For the love of all, will you just-"

"He was talking about Brown," she says through a heavy sigh, staring at the floor and frowning. She leans against the wall, tapping her foot against the floor. "It was... The one time my instincts failed me. Brown called an emergency meeting and said they thought they knew who the Impostor was, but I didn't think so, and the round continued, and then..." She pauses. "And then they killed him," she spits out. 

White stays frozen. He didn't actually think she'd tell him, and he's the last person who should ever be comforting someone. "I'm sorry," he says, because he isn't sure what else to say. Pink just nods, looking sad, but not like she's about to cry. White has no idea what he'd do if she did. "I don't think I'd ever be able to trust an Impostor again if I was you."

Pink looks up at him at that, her gaze burning into the side of his face, so he turns to make their eyes meet. "It's been a couple of months. And after everything that's happened, I think... I think you've really taught me a lot about Impostors. I mean, you're the most dangerous one in the world, yet you saved all of us."

Those words do something to White's heart, making it flutter, feel a bit lighter and freer. He smiles; it comes naturally for once. "Saying I saved you all is a bit generous. We worked as a team."

"A team, eh?" Pink asks, grinning. He rolls his eyes.

"I am not one of your little Crewmate friends," White says, looking away and blowing a stray hair out of his face. Before Pink can argue, he changes the subject. "Hey, wasn't the ship supposed to start landing five minutes ago?"

Pink nods. "It's already landing. An alarm will only go off if somethings wrong, so we just have to wai-" Almost as if on cue, an alarm blares through the air. White covers his ears right away, groaning.

"What now?" He asks. Pink jogs towards navigation, limping slightly, but otherwise still being able to move fine. She opens the door, going to check the controls.

"Uh, I'm not sure, actually," she says, pulling up a screen on the window in front of them. "Oh. It's just freaking out because it has to land."

White sighs in relief. "Okay, good. I thought it was-"

"Crash land," she corrects after a moment, squinting at the screen. White freezes. "Like, right now."

The ship plummets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait! i tried to make this chapter a bit longer to make up for it. thank you for 14.8k as well! hope you enjoyed, and feel free to leave a comment, as always :)


	13. We're Friends, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, two things: i combined chapter one and two!! again, i combined chapter one and two into one!! no chapters got deleted! i just thought it'd fit better as one chapter.  
> second: as you can see, there is no longer 13/?, it is 13/18! woo, we only have a few chapters left! this number may change depending on how many more chapters i need, but i'm fairly certain it'll be five.  
> enjoy!

The ground sinks beneath White’s feet before he even has the chance to ask what Pink means. He grabs onto the nearest object instinctively, which happens to be a chair. It swivels, because it's a chair, he realizes stupidly, and he falls even further. Pink sinks to the floor right away, looking terrified.

“Are we gonna die?” White yells. The lights go out then, beginning to flicker again, almost as if the ship itself is answering his question. White squeezes his eyes shut.

“I don't know!” Pink responds truthfully, and White cringes internally when her voice breaks. Pink speaks again, her words clipped and worried. “If we get lucky, maybe the ship won't crash too hard. I hope we land on a softer patch of land, and… Oh no, what if we land on someone’s base? White, what if-?”

White rubs his temples, ignoring his pounding heart. “Pink, we’ll be fine. Stop asking all these ‘what-ifs’ and worry about what happens when it happens, alright?” He says, annoyance lacing his tone. Pink nods quietly, though it’s hard to see in the darkness and with the way the ship is rocking and turning back and forth. Pink rests her chin on her knees, leaning against the closest wall in Navigation and keeping her eyes wide open. White gathers the courage to stand up, looking out the window at the ground below. He bites his lip. The ship seems to be falling slower than usual, which is good for them, but the landing still won't be pretty.

"Are we gonna be safe?" Pink asks, uncurling herself from her position and looking up at White with worried eyes as if he knows the answer. He meets her eyes, feeling something in his heart flutter. He shakes off the feeling, focusing on her question again.

"The landing won't be pretty, but we'll survive," he says truthfully. "Try grabbing onto something and hope for the best. I think we'll land in the middle of nowhere." Pink seems strangely happy at that, letting out a sigh of relief and closing her eyes. 'I guess a patch of empty land is better than someone else's base,' he thinks, sitting on the Navigation chair- it doesn't spin this time- and pretending his stomach isn't doing flips. The ship still falls; it's at a more tolerable speed now, though the alarm definitely isn't comforting.

Pink sighs again. White is getting tired of the sound. "What about the others? Do you think-"

"We're on the same ship, Pink," he says, trying to hide the annoyed undertone of his voice. "Whatever happens to us will happen to them. We're all gonna be fine," he reassures, hoping it's true. Pink doesn't look convinced, but thankfully, stays silent and leans back again. She doesn't wrap her arms around herself again this time, and White prepares for her to ask another question, but she doesn't. "Grab onto something, preferably on the ceiling, and hold onto it for dear life. We'll probably land in a minute."

"This has never happened before," Pink says, just to fill the silent void in the air. Or maybe to cover up the blaring alarm. White isn't sure, but her voice brings a strange comfort this time despite sounding like nails on a chalkboard just moments before. "I mean the ship crashing. Well, to be fair, the only moving ship I've ever been on is the one that brings us to th-"

White holds up a hand to shush her, then grabs onto one of the metal bars hanging from the ceiling. Probably specifically made for situations like these, he thinks. Pink stands up shakily and does the same. "You've never been through any of this before," White corrects silently, not looking at her. "And soon enough you'll be able to forget it ever happened. We'll get on Saturn, find help, get you guys back to the moon, and then I'll probably end up in jail." The way he says it so casually bothers Pink more than it should.

Pink scoffs, shaking her head. Her voice somehow sounds louder than the alarm. "I can't figure you out," she says truthfully, eyeing him like he's some sort of alien specimen. "One second I think we're friends, and the next, it's like I don't even know you."

White pauses, calculating a response. "We are friends," he finally says, though the words are clipped and have no strength behind them. "But once this is over, you'll have to move on with your life, and I'll have to move on with mine. The world works in strange ways."

"It doesn't have to," Pink responds, and she admits it's a weak reply, but White doesn't blame her for not knowing what to say. He never thought he'd wish the ship would crash, but he does now, because at least then, he won't have to deal with the awkwardness of this conversation. Pink bumps him with her shoulder, and he realizes he's been quiet for far too long.

"You're a Crewmate," he says matter-of-factly. "I'm an Impostor. You can't mix fire with ice. It just doesn't work that way, and it never will."

Pink's response is quiet, so hushed he has to strain to hear it over the noise of the blaring alarm. "But we can always try, can't we?" She asks, and he hates the way it makes his heart skip a beat. 

The response comes easier than he hoped it would. "...Yeah." He's never heard his voice take on such a soft tone. "We can always try, Pink."

The ship finally lands, surprising White, and he barely has any time to focus on holding onto the bar. He expects Pink to scream, or really, anyone to scream, but the ship stays quiet, save for the sound of a loud explosion. Smoke fills the air right away, and White flips on the cover of his helmet, grateful it never broke before. He grabs Pink, dragging her to the exit and hoping the others will follow. Thankfully, by the time the two of them make it outside, Green and Blue are already coughing their lungs out. White steps onto the strange ground of Saturn; his feet sink into it.

Pink laughs, or maybe it's a wheeze; White can't tell. "I told you!" She yells. "Your footprints will stay on Saturn for eternity. That's what's so cool about this place. Oh, how I missed Saturn..." She sinks to the floor, ripping off her helmet and taking in deep breaths. White looks at Blue and Green, and they stare at him with as much confusion as he does.

"Uh, Pink?" He asks as Red and Yellow run out of the ship, each carrying Purple and Teal. They gently set them onto the ground. "Are you okay?"

Pink blinks at him, brown eyes wide and confused. She ignores his question, suddenly sitting up. "Orange!" She yells. "Do you think they're still in there?" It's only then that White realizes that, in all of the craziness, he'd forgotten about the other color.

Blue frowns. "I don't know," he replies. "Should we wait around?"

White hesitantly shakes his head. "Bad idea. We shouldn't stay around for too long."

Lime runs out of the ship next, coughing loudly. He stares at Green for a moment, cocking his head. "I thought-?" He pauses. "What the hell happened?"

"You're alive?!" Yellow exclaims, stepping forward and staring at them with wide eyes. The others gather around, and Lime nods.

"I woke up a little bit ago, but nobody was in Medbay, so... I just stood up and ran. My back kind of hurts; what happened?" He asks.

Red looks dumbfounded. "You got stabbed is what happened. How the hell-?" he says casually, and Lime's eyes widen.

"I got what?!" He screams, and Blue quickly cuts in to explain the situation. Lime slowly becomes calmer and calmer, listening to the story and then sighing when it's done. He waves his hands to shush Blue after some time. "That's... Well, I'm glad I survived," he says. 

Yellow just shakes his head, still looking shocked. "I'm surprised you can even move. You got stabbed."

"To be fair, it wasn't that deep," White cuts in. Everyone glares at him, and he raises his hands defensively. "What? It's true."

Lime rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you would know, Impostor. Were you the one who stabbed me? Hey, why is he even still-"

"Down, Lime. White's fine," Red says hesitantly, staring at White, almost regretting his words. White gives him a grateful smile, surprised he even defended him, and Red looks away before changing the subject. Lime stays quiet. "Alright, can we focus on the issue at hand? Where the hell is Orange?"

Pink stands up, rubbing her head and groaning. She grabs onto White's shoulder for support. "We need to find them," she mumbles. "Orange disappeared and- Then Black was all like, the way he was, and then..." She drags out the 'n' annoyingly. White is about to yell at her before she passes out, and he grabs her quickly before she hits the ground. They don't need two colors having a concussion.

"Is she good?" Green asks, stepping closer to inspect her. She looks peaceful when she sleeps. 

"Probably inhaled too much smoke," Lime shrugs, crossing his arms and leaning against the still-smoking ship. "Set her down next to Purple and Teal." White does just that, fluffing up the top part of her suit so it acts as a pillow, and continuing to listen to Lime. "So, do we go back in?"

Green nods vehemently. "There's no other place for Orange to have gone," he says. "Unless they ejected themself... But we'd notice, right? They must be alive still." Everyone stays quiet while Green looks around, waiting for someone to agree with him. "Really helpful, guys... Anyway, if none of you are going, I will. I'm not leaving them behind."

Red sighs. "Alright, I'm in, and I already know Yellow's gonna wanna come too to one-up me." Yellow nods in satisfaction. "We should have someone stand guard."

"I'll go, too," White volunteers. Red nods, then looks at Lime and Blue. 

"You guys stay here, and, uh..." Red pauses. "Oh, who am I kidding, you couldn't protect us for shit. Let's just hope nothing threatening comes by," he finishes, turning towards the ship.

"Hey, we totally could!" Lime argues, looking offended.

Red rolls his eyes. "Yeah, April Fools to you, too." Lime seethes but stays silent. "I know some of our helmets are broken, but we'll be able to get new ones soon. Just put it on and do what you can. And if you see Orange, do whatever you have to do to get them to come with us."

Without waiting for an answer, Red sprints into the ship, so the others follow.

──

Smoke still clouds the air, and White coughs constantly, waving it out of his face. He can barely see two feet in front of him.

'This is a stupid idea. The ship could catch on fire at any second,' he thinks, then turns back to the door. He shakes his head to himself. 'Nope. Can't leave Orange behind. The ship isn't that big, they couldn't've gone too far..."

He walks around for a bit, as careful as he can. His helmet helps keep some of the smoke out, but is suffocating at the same time. Eventually, he takes it off to just walk around freely.

The smoke goes down after a few more minutes, though the lights are still out and debris has scattered everywhere. White checks every room, running into some of the others a few times, but not Orange. He sighs, losing energy quickly, but continuing down another hallway. Space food has never sounded so delicious to him. He jogs until he reaches storage, where everyone else already is, opening a couple of crates.

"Any luck?" White asks, approaching the group. Red jumps, ready to attack, then shining his flashlight and realizing it's just White. He shakes his head.

"Not yet, though I've already tackled Yellow twice thinking it was Orange," Red says. Yellow rubs his shoulder painfully, scowling. They continue digging through the crates, so White joins, unsure of what they're looking for exactly. "I thought Orange might have hidden in one of these. They're big enough to fit a person. But all we found was-"

Yellow yells, jumping up after prying the lid off of a crate. Orange stares up at him. "What the hell?" Yellow yells.

"Orange?!" Red exclaims, staring down at the half-asleep, just now waking up figure lying in the crate. They frown, holding up a hand to shield themself from the blinding flashlight. Red pulls it away from their face, still looking shocked. Green stands up and walks over to the crate, peering down to see Orange.

Orange sits up quietly, looking dazed. "Where am I?" They mumble, lifting up their helmet and rubbing their eyes. Green looks frozen, staring at them. Orange opens their eyes wider, staring up at Green, mouth forming a small 'o.' "Green?"

Green practically falls forward, enveloping them in a tight hug. Orange chokes, the air being slammed out of their lungs, but quickly returns the gesture. "You're alive!" Green yells excitedly, and Orange winces at the volume. "You're alive and okay. I thought you were dead!"

Orange's voice is slightly muffled by Green's shoulder. "What happened?" They ask quietly. "I just remember..." They trail off, and their eyes widen. "Oh no. Black. Is Black still-"

"Black is gone, Orange," White reassures, and they heave out a sigh of relief. White kneels down. "Green, as touching as this is, Orange is in a crate, inside a ship that could explode at any moment. We need to get out and discuss what happened."

Green pulls away very reluctantly, still keeping his eyes on Orange, and holding out a hand to help them out of the crate. Red and Yellow stay silent, then turn, the group walking back to the exit. Orange wobbles slightly, but Green slings Orange's arm over his shoulder for support.

The smoke starts getting bad again as they approach the entrance, but luckily, they make it back without too much trouble. The group practically pours out of the ship, coughing their lungs out, and Blue reaches forward to grab Orange immediately. Green tightens his grip around them, glaring at Blue, who shoots him a confused look. Once the coughing has stopped, Pink walks- or rather, limps and nearly falls- over to them.

"You got Orange!" She says, words slightly slurred, coughing again. White nods, giving her an accomplished smile. Pinks eyes sparkle. She leans forward and holds them in a hug, squeezing tightly, ignoring that Green is still gripping them tightly. Orange returns the gesture, and then the others join, and then it's a lopsided and strange group hug. White stands to the side, studying his shoes as if they're the most interesting thing in the world. Pink meets his eyes, gesturing for him to join.

'Me?' He mouths, pointing a finger to his chest. Pink nods. 'You,' she mouths back. White doesn't move until she shoots him a death glare, so he takes tentative steps forward before joining the hug. Pink manages to get an arm around him. Her hand rests on his back, and for the first time in a long time, someone else's touch doesn't sting the way it would if his mother was doing it. It's comforting.

He smiles. It's a nice feeling.

They pull away eventually, and Red claps his hands, looking at Orange, who sits on the ground and sighs. "Alright. Explain." The group sits in a small circle on the ground, all looking at Orange expectantly. Green holds their hand while they think of what to say.

"I noticed Black in the vents," they say after a pause, eyes squeezed shut as if to help them remember. "They knew I knew, so they pulled me aside and threatened me. So I... Did what they told me to, which was... kill Lime." Their eyes shoot open at that, scanning the circle, and relief fills their features when they see Lime sitting there, alive. "Oh, you're okay. I tried not to stab you too hard. Sorry."

Lime, only looking slightly bothered, waves it off. "You did what you had to. And I'm still here, so that's what matters." Orange looks like a kicked puppy, so Lime adds, "besides, I'll have a sick scar now. Really, it's fine, Orange. I'm okay." White can't imagine being so calm about being stabbed, but stays quiet. It's crazy that they have bigger problems than this.

White looks over to Purple and Teal, who are still passed out, though both of their chests rise and fall peacefully. A pang of guilt hits him. Pink squeezes his hand, surprising him, and he turns his head to her. Lime and Orange continue talking in the background, but he tunes it out. Pink smiles at him, and he smiles back for the umpteenth time today. "I think they'll wake up," Pink says reassuringly, her voice a bit croaky and quiet. She coughs again. Lime and Orange are bantering over who-knows-what now, Red joining in and only making it worse while the other three laugh.

Eventually, after another few minutes of talking and catching up, Orange claps their hands together. "Where do we go from here?" They ask. Pink stares at the ground.

"I don't know," she says truthfully. Silence fills the air, save for the sound of space, a sort of eerie noise, though White doesn't know the source. "I think we should walk until we find shelter, a place where we can communicate with someone... And then get back to the moon."

Red rests his chin on his hand, elbow on his knee. "Hey, do you think our base is still up?" He asks. "Maybe we can go there. We'll have a change of suits, plenty of food, a place to just relax. I don't know if the comms will still work, but it's always worth a shot, right?"

Pink nods, though it's hesitant. "Alright. We could use a safe place. How do we know how to get there, though?"

Blue stands up, walking around the side of the ship. Nobody follows. He returns a moment later, jogging back over. "I see a building up ahead. Think we should ask for a map?" He suggests.

"We're on Saturn," Yellow says worriedly. "You know how people are here. Going to that house could be a death trap."

"Okay, yeah, true," Green joins in. "But it could also be good. What if there are people who actually want to help? It's always worth a shot." A few others nod, but Pink squints a bit and shakes her head.

"I don't know. It's too risky, don't you think? Anyone could be in that building. Anyone could see us and think, 'oh yay, new people to kill!' I think we should try finding our way around with just our prior knowledge of this place."

White shakes his head, standing up and dusting off his white pants. "We'll die before we figure that out. Teal and Purple still need medical attention, probably Lime and Green, and even you, too, and it'll take us days before we even have an idea of where your old base might have been. I say we take the risk."

"What if they don't know where our base is?" Lime adds in. "What if they just-"

"Then we explore the rest of the town," Blue says. "Hey, maybe Saturn has changed! You never know." Pink still looks hesitant.

"I don't know. This seems dangerous. Maybe we should-"

"What other choice do we have?" White argues, and Pink chews her lip, not having a solid answer. "It's either accept the risk of asking for help, or die slowly and never know if things could be different.

The group looks at Pink expectantly, her being the deciding factor, even without them having to take an actual vote. Whatever Pink decides is what goes, as it always has been. She looks to White this time, though, waiting for him to say something, for him to decide their fate. He stutters for a moment, then clears his throat. "You already know what I think we should do, Pink," he says. Pink sighs.

"Alright. Let's ask."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 15.5k! feel free to leave a comment as always, i'm so sorry i've been slacking on replying :(
> 
> this chapter feels off in a strange way as well?? like kinda bad?? ugh but hey... did my best. hope u enjoyed :)


	14. Down We Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for 19.6k! 
> 
> i know this update is suuuuuper late, i am so sorry! please be understanding of the fact that i have a lot of other stuff going on in my life rn and this fic is not exactly my biggest concern :(
> 
> also small side note! i might combine some chapters just because some are super short and i'd like to combine them with others to be one longer chapter :) don't freak out if you see the chapter count go down!
> 
> hope you enjoy!

"Of all the ideas we have ever had, this has got to be the dumbest one," Orange announces as the group trudges towards a lopsided building about a mile or so away. Saturn makes everything look closer than it is; it's caused other people on the planet to die before. Thinking a safe place to stay was closer than it is, and spending days trying to get there before eventually dying.

Pink waves her hand dismissively. "Nah, we've definitely done dumber. Do you remember the time you thought it'd be a good idea to eje-"

"Anyways!" Orange interrupts quickly, changing the topic to something about different species of birds. White tunes them out, instead opting to look at Pink instead, who seems to be doing a lot better despite being loopy and out-of-it earlier. She seems to sense him looking at her because she turns and gives him a small smile, and even with all the small scrapes and bruises on her face, she still looks beautiful.

 _Snap out of it!_ he yells at himself. He doesn't want to, though. He keeps thinking, and doesn't push away the thought when he thinks of talking to Pink more. She's a good person- great, actually. But then his senses shut down when he looks down at his white suit and imagines how many times it's been stained with blood. He's an Impostor. Impostor's and Crewmates don't like each other, this is a temporary thing, and when they get back, it'll all be over, he realizes painfully.

They trudge forward. Orange is still talking, and while it looks like Red wants to punt them off the planet, Green is listening intently to what they're talking about. White suppresses a smile. He was right about them having a crush on each other.

"White?" Pink asks, and he turns to look down at her. She's still weirdly short and tiny, but that's what's expected from such a height difference. "You look tired."

"Who wouldn't be at a time like this?" White asks, pulling off the top part of his helmet to mess with his white hair a bit. He's never wanted to shower more in his life. "We just crashed onto a strange planet, and now we're headed towards a stranger's home. I think I have a right to be a bit tired." His tone isn't defensive, his words are, but Pink knows it's just his way of talking.

She pulls off her helmet, too, running a hand through curly hair. Hers is brown and long, and she messes with it a bit with her hands. "You had the right idea taking that off," she sighs as they continue walking. White and Pink are a bit further behind now, but can still hear Orange yelling something about spaceships and Green agreeing excitedly. She looks up at him. "Your hair is white, yet there's not a single speck of dirt on it. Lucky. Well, at least we'll get to shower soon." A pause as they keep walking. "Hopefully."

Pink and White make idle conversation then and go silent to just enjoy the presence of each other at times. White hangs onto each of her words, and it's then that he realizes, on the middle of a deserted and dangerous planet with the group of people he was supposed to kill, that he has a crush on Pink.

He's an idiot.

The rest of the trek goes smoothly, with the group making it to the building in about two hours total, them having to carry Purple and Teal making it much harder. They find out then that it's not actually inhabited by anyone- it's entirely empty, save for some furniture, food, and other resources- which definitely lowers the risk factor. Red suggests someone else might live there, but that theory is quickly shut down by Blue, who says "who the fuck would wanna live on Saturn in a giant, cold, building?" None of them argue.

Pink opts to flop down onto the couch once they're there, and when Yellow suggests they all sleep soon, nobody argues. And that's how White finds himself drinking a cup of water from a rusty sink in the kitchen, listening as everyone goes to find their own place to sleep, and staring at the floor. They're finally safe. Well, safe-ish. Saturn in general is a dangerous place, but they've found themselves a place with running water, food, and resources to last them at least a week or so. All they have to do now is find a way to communicate with people who can help them.

Communication. Getting help. It sounds harder than it should be to White, because how are they going to reach anyone from where they are? Unless some miracle occurs and a rescue ship just happens to come down here, enter this building, and help them, how are they going to get out of this? They don't even have a map, either. He wonders if the people back on their planet are worried about the Inner Inc. Crewmates, if they're all talking about it online, if they even think they're alive. These Crewmates are the best in the world.

He wonders if anyone is worried about him, and strangely enough, it hurts this time when he realizes nobody misses him.

"Hey," Pink says, rubbing her eyes and stepping into the kitchen. She grabs a glass from the cupboard while White stares ahead of him, sipping out of his glass. She doesn't speak as she fills up the glass, taking a long swig and closing her eyes and the cool liquid seeps down her throat. She sighs after a moment, looking tired. Her eyes meet White's. "This water sucks."

"Don't have to tell me twice," White says, face scrunching up as he finishes his cup. Pink laughs under her breath, placing the cup into the sink before turning back to White.

She leans against the counter, looking a bit more alive and awake now. "You're thinking about something."

"What?" He asks, rinsing out his cup and leaning against the counter as well. "I'm always thinking. Everybody is. Technically nobody ever stops thinking." Pink shoots him a look and he rolls his eyes. "I'm just thinking about... this."

Pink gives him a curious look. "This, as in... Us? Or, this as in, we're stuck on the middle of a deserted planet with practically no idea how to get home?"

White thinks about it. Isn't friendship all about honesty? Isn't being more open about what he's thinking or feeling exactly what Pink wants? "Both," he says truthfully, and Pink seems surprised at that. "I mean, our friendship isn't exactly my main priority, but... I keep thinking about it."

"What's to think about?" Pink questions and White can't imagine ever looking at himself and actually wanting to be friends. "You're... I haven't known you for long, but I've known you long enough to know that deep down, underneath that sad, scared exterior, you're just another color who had his dream ripped away from him."

White might feel offended if it were anyone else calling him out, but instead, all he can do is stare at Pink with a shocked expression. She smiles. "I guess you're right," he says. Pink quirks a brow. "I don't think I'm scared, though. Not anymore. I was always afraid to make any friends, but..." He looks down at the injury on Pink's thigh, and she looks up at him with the same happy expression she had seconds ago.

"It's not your fault," she says, getting a bit closer, shifting towards him but still leaning against the counter. She frowns as she speaks. "You know that was Black's fault. And I should've known there was two Impost-"

"Now you're blaming yourself," White says carefully. Pink meets his eyes again.

"Have your eyes always been blue?"

The question throws him off, and he feels his face burn, clearing his throat and looking away. Pink grins. "They have," she says, hopping up onto the counter so they're face to face. Her eyes are dark brown, big, but the sparkle in them has faded. "Your eyes are pretty."

"Yours too." They sit like that for a minute, neither speaking, almost as if in some sort of strange staring contest. Eventually, Pink gets closer and closer, and he finds himself doing the same thing, closing the distance between them until-

"Where do I get water around here? I swear, the bathroom sinks don't even work," Green complains, entering the room and stopping abruptly. White can only imagine his face is as red as Pinks from being caught. Green just stares. "Were you- were you about to _kiss?_ " He asks. They both shake their heads vehemently. Green doesn't move. "You can't be together," he says finally. "Impostors and Crewmates- do you know how bad that would be for our reputation, Pink? Do you know how the world might react?"

"How does it affect you?" Pink argues, and White internally begs her to stand down and accept defeat, but she clearly won't. "Listen, I- I don't know how I feel about him. But it shouldn't matter whether an Impostor loves a Crewmates. We're all just- We're just colors. When it all comes down to it, we're all just a bunch of colors in this world."

Green grits his teeth. "Impostors are dangerous. The moment we're out of this planet, he'll go right back to killing people."

Much to his surprise, though, Pink just nods in agreement. "Yeah. He will," she says. Green blinks at her. "Because this world is so fucked up, he doesn't have any other choice. What do you think would happen if we suddenly stopped doing our job as Crewmates? Huh? What would happen, Green, tell me!" He flinches as her voice raises until eventually, the air is tenser than anything White has ever felt before and Green is staring at her, more shocked than he's ever been before. Pink seems to falter. "I need some air. Don't follow me."

She exits the kitchen, and once Green and White hear the doors slam, Green fills up a cup with water. 

"It's late."

Pink whips her head around to see White standing there, holding a jacket. He drapes it over her shoulders, and she takes it gratefully, shivering subsiding slightly. "There's no time on Saturn," she responds. 

"Well, technically, it's late, then," he replies slightly playfully. He takes a seat next to her with ample space between them. Neither of them speak for awhile, but then Pink's voice breaks the silence.

"I can't figure you out," she says softly, looking out at the stars in the sky. "One moment I feel like I've gotten through to you, and the next, it's like I don't know you at all. You're a really confusing person, White." She pauses for a moment, so White lets her finish. "I've always been great at solving puzzles. Ever since I was a kid, I've been great at it, actually. That was another factor that helped in becoming a Crewmate... Anyway, my point is... I like solving things. I like figuring them out." She turns to look at him. "But when it comes to you, I feel like I don't know anything at all."

White calculates his next words carefully. "I don't know who I am, either," he finally settles. "I'm just as confused as you are, only problem is, I've never been good at puzzles. I don't like unexpected things to happen. My mind has been on... Sort of autopilot for a long time. Before I met your crew, everything was the same."

"Don't you want to change it?" She asks, and White finally turns his head to look at her as well.

"If I could, don't you think I would?" He says sadly, and Pink's eyes look just as depressed. "I'm just a murderer, Pink. It's as simple as that. There's so much blood on my hands, I don't think I could ever really live a normal life if I wanted to. Even though I _do_ want to."

Pink was already frowning- she doesn't smile often anymore- but her frown deepens. "So you do want to change?"

"Didn't I say that? It's not like I particularly enjoy killing people. I'll never get to have a normal life," he says, then sighs. "I guess I shouldn't be complaining. I'm the best Impostor in the world, right? That's an achievement I should be grateful to have gotten." Pink is still quiet, and White shifts uncomfortably under her stare. "It's better this way. It's better that I stay an Impostor, to avoid hurting anyone."

"I was right, wasn't I? You're scared, aren't you?" She whispers, and at that, White gives her a surprised look. "You're terrified that if you try to change something, you'll get hurt in the process. You're scared to do anything except what you know. You're fucking terrified."

"I-" The passion in her tone catches him off guard. "I'm not scared, Pink. I can't afford to be scared when my job is hurting people-"

"And yet you are," she argues sadly. The stars still move in the night sky. They're bright. "You're scared and- And you don't feel anything, because you don't want to. You don't want to love anyone or let them in because you're a- You're a stubborn _idiot,_ White!" It's the second time in one night that she's gotten angry, and White is beginning to wonder just much pent-up anger this woman has. "I keep trying to get in, and you keep putting up more walls."

"It's better this way."

"You almost kissed me! You _wanted_ to kiss me, White!"

"And I didn't!" He snaps back, and she flinches. "And even if we didn't get interrupted by Green, he's right, okay? He's right about everything. We can't kiss. We can't love eachother, and we can't date, because Impostors and Crewmates don't do that. Murderers don't get along with their victims!"

"Stop acting like you're nothing more than a murderer! You're a living being, too, White!"

"I would've killed your friends," White seethes. "Purple and Teal and Green. I would have murdered them if it weren't for everything that happened. And in the end, you would be dead, too." Pink looks up at him, hurt, pained, but also passionate. Happy. There's happiness hiding beneath her irises, somewhere in her soul. "I'm a killer."

She shakes her head. "No. No, you're not a killer."

He gets tired of arguing, so instead, he opts to stare at the ground while his heart hammers in his chest. Pink stays silent for a long time as well, collecting her own thoughts. Eventually, White stands up and puts a hand out to her. "We should go inside. You need some sleep. And to change out of that suit."

"Brown made this suit for me. Stitched it and manufactured it himself," she says quietly. "I think if I can repair it, I'd rather do that. Last thing I have of him." And, curse his heart, White feels bad for her, bad for what happened to her, and bad for the fact that her best friend, Brown, was killed, even though he was innocent. He closes his eyes and pushes it away. He doesn't want to feel. Funny how earlier he thought he did, too.

She takes his hand when he says, "Okay, we can do that. But come inside for now. You should take a shower or eat something." Pink nods, standing up and walking in. Neither lets go of the others hand, and White allows them both that for now.

Eventually, hours later, after the group has sat down and eaten, talked, discussed their options, showered, and is safe in bed, White goes up to the roof of the building, where Pink is already sitting by the edge. She dangles her legs over, not dangerously close, but looking lost. He sits next to her.

"You think we'll be able to get out of here?" She asks, still looking out at the stars. They can see another planet from here. White can't tell which one. Pink laughs lightly. "Feels like we'll be stuck in this mess forever."

He shrugs. "Eh, eventually. Either that, or we die trying," he says casually, and Pink just nods in agreement. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Well, I _was,_ but then I had the urge to come out onto the roof. It's a nice view, right?" She asks.

"It's just stars and plain ground. Not really anything interesting," he says. Pink frowns, so he rolls his eyes and says, "I guess the stars are kind of pretty. I wonder what time it is back on the moon."

Pink yawns. "Probably well past our bedtime," she says, and White has to agree. "Well, tomorrow will be better. We can go out and find someplace to communicate with others."

White nods. "Get some rest, Pink."

So she stands up, exits the roof, and does.

The next day isn't much different than the last. Green shoots dirty looks at White the entire time, but even though White sticks by Pink's side, he doesn't stop him. Orange holds his hand. Green is more than happy to while they walk to another base.

"So, this place has a communication device, yeah?" White asks Pink as they trudge forward. She nods. "Maybe I'll be able to work it. But if not, what do we do?"

"We'll worry about that when it happens," she says nonchalantly, and White can't even imagine thinking that way.

"Isn't it better to think in advanc-"

"It's better to not worry your ass off, White," Pink chuckles, and White almost finds it strange, pretending that everything before just never happened. They've moved on, he thinks, and is actually sort of grateful for it.

The trip doesn't last too long, and they make it to the other building in ample time. Multiple times, Red complained that they were lost and Blue needed to be more careful, but they still made it, and nobody died along the way, which is always a big plus in White's book. Once they're there, everyone gathers inside the building- it's actually rather large, with multiple rooms, all containing different things- so they have no trouble spreading out. Pink sticks close to White's side, and when her words from the other night echo in his head, he decides not to push her away.

Orange gathers them all in the main area which has a couch and a nice chandelier with a fireplace. They clap their hands together before beginning. "I think we should all split up and try to find the device. Cover more ground, y'know?" They look over to White, but Green starts before they can.

"I think two people should stay with White." His eyes narrow. "Make sure he doesn't do anything shady."

"Enough of that," Yellow says, surprising just about everyone. "We've been with him for a solid amount of time. If he was going to do anything, he would've already. Pink trusts him, too, and I trust Pink, so."

White can't do anything but stare at him for a long moment before muttering a small, "thanks." Yellow just nods while Green looks like his face might explode from anger.

"I'll go with White," Pink says. "Make sure he doesn't get into any 'trouble,' as Green says." Green gives her a look. She smiles. "Well, we'll try to cover most of the upper right wing. Don't do anything stupid, everyone."

They all nod, still sitting while Orange figures out where to send the rest of the people. Pink tugs on White's hand, leading the two of them up the stairs. The building is big, just like White speculated, and big enough to a point where you could get lost in it. Pink leads him down hallway and hallway, and he just follows along, even though neither of them knows where the hell they're going.

Pink eventually stops before a door. "Wanna check random rooms and hope for the best?" She asks with a mischievous smile, and White should probably not be encouraging her to when she's smiling like that, because it's clear she's planning something- but he says yes. She opens the door and enters the room.

It's a normal bedroom with a made bed, a painting, and a dresser. "Oh, wow," she breathes. "It's pretty in here. I could totally go for a nap. Or a pillow fight."

White blinks at her like she's gone mad. "You know the layout of this place, don't you?" He asks, and she grins.

"Well, I might have done some research before we came and knew this room had pillows in it..." She trails off, and no matter how angry White wants to be at her for throwing them off course and wasting potentially precious time, he can't bring himself to be mad. So he does the opposite of what he should, and reaches behind her, pulling out a fluffy pillow before swinging it straight at her.

She yells, grabbing her own pillow and throwing it back, and just for a moment, White feels like he's a child playing with an old friend on his street. He feels like a normal person, someone who has a childhood, someone who feels. Someone who isn't a cold-blooded killer. 

_Maybe I'm not._ He's starting to worry about his mood swings.

He allows himself to think it, just for a moment, as he swings the pillow at her again, and Pink laughs again, managing to land a blow on him. Not knives, or guns, or any dangerous weapons, just two fully-grown adults having a pillow fight when their lives are in danger. Eventually, Pink holds up a hand to stop the fight, yelling and laughing at the same time. "Okay, enough! You win, you win!"

"Of course I win," he huffs, throwing the pillow back on the bed. Pink fixes her hair, still smiling, and White sees that sparkle in her eyes return, the same one she had when they first got into this mess, before they had even made it to the arena. His heart feels full at that moment. He feels like a real, existing, being. "How did you even get the layout of this place?"

Pink has to calm herself down, still recovering from her laughing fit. Her laugh is airy and beautiful, and her chest feels light and free. "It- It wasn't exactly hard. There was a computer in that old building, so I went to Saturn Maps and found it. Turns out this building was for sale. Photos of every room online." She sighs, still looking happy. "Okay, I guess we should actually do our job now, huh?"

"If we ever want a chance of getting out of here," White says. Pink locks eyes with him for a moment, and as they sit on the bed, neither one makes the first move to get up. "What? Something on my face?"

"No, it's just-" She laughs again. "Your eyes are still blue."

White turns away, rolling his eyes. "Well, duh. My eyes aren't gonna change colors overnight." Pink doesn't say anything as she stands up, her smile not subsiding, her happy spirit and aura practically seeping into White. He stands up too, exiting the room side-by-side with her. Pink shoves her hands into her torn-up pockets. They weren't able to find anything to patch it up, but Pink still refused to get out of it, so White carries around a perfectly good suit in his own suit just incase she decides to change.

Eventually, after looking around some more, Pink finds exactly the room she was looking for on the seventh floor of the building. Much to their happiness, Green and Orange are already in there, messing around with the device. "Oh, you found it!" She says excitedly, practically shoving the two of them out of the way to see the machine for herself. "Perfect. We can send an SOS to the moon."

White helps type out a disgustingly long message about how they got stuck, need help, and are probably fucked if nobody can come to find them. Pink hits send with a single tap of her finger, then sighs in satisfaction, placing two hands on her hips.

And then the ceiling falls in.

It, of course, catches them all off guard, but mostly because there was no sign of it. Pink quickly places her hands over her head for cover, and White does the same, and after the initial five-second or so shock, they all realize that _oh my god the ceiling just fell._

"What just happened?" Green says, panic lacing his tone. Orange holds his hand. An alarm blares.

"Is that a fire alarm?" Pink yells, and her question is answered when the ceiling sprinklers go off and the smell of smoke fills the air. "Fuck! Fuck, okay, what happened?" But the sprinklers turn off just as quickly as they came on.

White stands by her side protectively, and the four of them quickly exit the room while trying to think of an explanation. "I don't know. Is there a fire somewhere in the building?"

"Probably," Orange says quickly and moves down the hall. "We need to find the others, or even just find an exi-"

The ceiling falls again right in front of them, cutting off one of their paths. It catches fire right away, spreading from where it came from upstairs. White curses under his breath. "Okay, we still have a way out. Come on. No time to find the others, we just need to get out-"

"And leave them behind?" Green argues.

Pink cuts in. "How are we supposed to find them, Green? They probably already know and are getting out, anyway!"

"It's you, isn't it?" Green accuses, pressing a finger against White's chest. "You started it, didn't you? Planted some sort of fire bomb? Is that why you took your sweet time writing that message? Let me guess, it didn't even send-"

Pink whacks him right across the face. "Are you seriously blaming him?" She yells. "At a time like this? Green-"

Something crashes behind them. Their escape route. White curses- if it weren't for Green's arguing, they might've made it. "Fuck! Okay, what now?" Orange asks.

"Uh, okay, we can go into that room- Just pray it has an exit door in it," he says, swinging it open, and bless the heavens above, it leads back out into another hallway. They quickly go through it, then all practically sprint down the hallway, where they run into Red, Blue, and Yellow. Lime follows after them, and it's then that White realizes he's been quiet the whole time, but that's a problem for another time. "You guys are here! What the hell happened?"

"No idea. I think maybe something in the generators exploded. What I do know is that we need to get out, and quick-" Another crash sounds, this one from their left, and before anyone has time to react, another from the right, and then behind until it feels like the building is falling bit by bit. Maybe it is.

White grabs Pink just as the floor literally falls beneath them, pulling her onto some stable ground while it caves in. 

Green falls.

Orange lunges forward, grabbing his hand quickly and almost falling themself, but Red reaches out just quick enough to catch their wrist, while Green hangs onto their ankle, which leaves the three in a strange sort of hanging line. White stays away, still holding onto Pink just in case she tries anything stupid, and Blue, Yellow, and Lime watch from afar, though Yellow looks ready to reach out if Red falls.

"What do we do?" Orange asks, panicked, still hanging onto Red for dear life. Nobody speaks. Fire crackles from all around them. And then, much to Red's dismay, another part of the ceiling breaks, nearly landing on top of him. He pulls back quickly, letting go of Orange, who freaks out and catches onto the edge with one hand. "Shit!"

Red tries to reach out again- fire burns his arm. White reaches into his giant back pocket, pulling out the unused suit and throwing it onto the small bit of burning fire there. It seems to put it out. "Fireproof," White explains quickly, then reaches out and grabs Orange. "I'm gonna try pulling you up, alright? Green, just hang onto their ankle."

Another board from the ceiling falls, nearly hitting Green, who slips right off of Orange's ankle, but manages to grab onto a beam that's hanging out from the window. The rest of the floor beneath the seventh is burnt to a crisp, and White knows a drop like that results in death.

 _Think!_ He yells at himself, and he realizes, stupidly, that he's not used to having to save people.

White pulls Orange up fully, who falls forward onto the ground and is grabbed by Red and Blue. They quickly go back over to the edge, staring down at Green.

"Green!" They yell, but have nothing else to say. Green stares up at them. "White, do something!"

"Like what?" He cries back, and Orange doesn't have an answer to that. "Does anyone have some rope? A board? Anything at all?" He's not sure why he expects anybody to, but it still hurts when they all shake their heads. "Green..."

He looks up at the group, then focuses on Orange. "Orange- I think my hands are getting slippery," he says painfully.

"Just..." Orange trails off, tears brimming at their eyes. "I don't know."

"I love you," Green says.

"Don't say that," Orange replies, then gets closer to the edge, causing White to put an arm out to stop them. Orange stares at him. "We have to- We have to do something, White. We can't just-"

Green slips.

White has witnessed a lot of death in his life, but it's never hurt as much as witnessing this one does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um. :) yeah!
> 
> so... how are we feeling about the last chapter being next...
> 
> again, i might combine some of the chapters so! don't be surprised if that happens haha.


	15. Love

The cold air of an opening spaceship hits White's bare face instantly, the platform coming down and finally settling on the ground with a 'thud.' He adjusts the grip on his backpack, smoothing out the crinkles in his brand new suit. He steps forward, carefully taking a seat in one of the chairs as he pulls on his helmet. The same one he sat in all those months ago, nervous and unknowing of what might come next, but now, his heart feels full.

The cold metal of blades and weapons that used to hide inside his suit no longer do; it's just a normal spacesuit, with no little pockets or places to hide anything. One just like any other crewmate might have, nothing special, nothing to set him apart.

Normal. He feels normal, and the feeling is foreign, yet he welcomes it with open arms. It's something akin to happiness, something warm and light sitting in his chest. Hope.

He smiles as he feels the ship land, the large door opening and landing once again. He steps off and takes in his surroundings, a dark, star-filled atmosphere. The building sits just a bit further up, so he makes the short five-minute walk to it, studying his shoes the entire time.

"Dude. I was starting to think you were a no-show." White's head snaps up to see the familiar face of Orange, who leans against the wall, grinning. White returns the smile.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world," he responds, giving them a pat on the shoulder before entering the building. Classical music plays softly in the distance, and the floor- made of marble, and he thinks he can see little specks of gold- has been polished and cleaned. Nervous, yet excited, he makes his way into the main area, shoes clicking against the floor as he pushes open one of the large doors. 

There's a stage, too many chairs to count, and more people than he thinks he's ever seen in his life.

Three people sit at a table in front of the stage, but he can't hear a single thing they're saying from all the chatter around the room. Multiple voices flood the air, and suddenly, White feels like a speck of dust, barely visible and out of place. Still, he keeps his head down and tries to find his reserved seat at the front of room. He does, and takes a seat quickly and quietly, taking in a few breaths.

"Oh my god." He whips his head around at the close voice and comes face-to-face with Pink. Quite literally; she can't be more than a few centimeters away, staring in awe. A comforting wave of familiarity washes over him at the sight of her, and he lets out a relieved breath, smiling. She speaks before he can even say anything else. "You're late! I was seriously thinking you were just gonna bail on this whole thing."

"Why does everyone think that? Am I truly that unreliable?" He jokes, feigning hurt, and Pink gives him a gentle punch in the arm at the act, rolling her eyes as she takes a seat next to him. She looks lovely; cleaner, maybe, which makes sense considering he only ever saw her when she was covered in cuts and bruises and debris from various things on both the spaceship and on other planets. He stares at her, and she looks ahead at the stage, but turns as if she can sense his gaze. She offers him a small smile.

"How have you been?" She asks. "It feels like it's been forever."

White nods in agreement, laughing lightly. "Yeah. I've been good. And, hey, it's only been a couple of months. We all knew we'd reunite eventually. Plus, I text you everyday."

"Yeah, but it's different talking to you online! I was counting down the days until I'd see you in person again," Pink complains. She bounces her leg up and down, probably full of pent-up energy. The air goes quiet for a bit, White's mind occupied until she bumps his shoulder. "Knock knock. Anyone home?"

"Oh! Sorry. Just thinking. This is kind of insane," White says, drumming his fingers on the armchair. "I just never thought this moment in my life would come."

"You're smart. I think deep down, you knew you'd be here eventually," Pink says, shrugging as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Able to change the world, and change who you are." White just nods, so Pink continues. "Hey, for the record, I've been in your position, and it is _way_ less scary than you think it is. You're literally up there for like, two minutes."

White shudders. "Yeah, two minutes too long." He replies. Pink grabs his hand, giving it a small squeeze. 

"You've got this, alright?" She says encouragingly. "You're gonna become a Crewmate, just like you've always wanted."

He blinks. "I wonder what my mom would think of this whole thing," he says. "She'd literally kill me. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if she, like, revived herself right now just to come into this building and yell at me for even considering-" He cuts himself off when he sees the look on Pink's face, laughing. "Okay. Yeah. This is what I've always wanted, and this isn't about her."

Before she can reply, the next wave of people are being called up to the stage, and, hesitantly, he removes his hand from Pink's and stands, making his way onto the stage. Personal details are never revealed about them- his suit covers every defining feature about him, which should probably make him less anxious, but it's almost like it has the opposite effect. Either way, it goes by like Pink said it would; he's announced, officially, as a Crewmate, and then he's stepping off the stage and going to another seat nearby.

Pink is glowing, he notices, in excitement for him, and he's not sure how to feel about it, but it's a good feeling.

An hour later, he's standing in the hallway saying goodbye to some of the other Crewmates and a few friends. Pink leans against the wall, waiting for him and some privacy, and eventually, when the entire place has cleared out, she approaches him.

"See?" She says confidently, taking off her helmet and sighing. "Not scary at all. You totally crushed it, dude."

White smiles. "You're right," he says. A pause. "And you were right before."

She tilts her head a bit. "About what?"

"About me," he begins carefully, looking down at her, feeling like he did months ago when he first arrived on that ship and realized he towered over the tiny girl. "Everything about me. About how I could change, and-" He pauses, because he can't read her expression and he doesn't know what exactly to say. "I don't know."

"All I did was believe in you, just like everyone else in your life should have a long time ago. And everything I said was true- That you could change. And I was right, because look at you now, mister Crewmate," she says with a small laugh, and he chuckles as well.

He clears his throat after a moment. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, until further notice."

Pink shakes her head. "I don't do goodbyes. I'm gonna see you again within the next month, and if I don't, I will personally track you down myself. No way in hell you're getting rid of me that easily." White snorts, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, alright, sure." He looks into her eyes, feeling his chest flutter. "I'll see you again soon."

Pink smiles. "You sure will, White." Hesitantly, she pushes herself off the wall and walks away, down the empty hallway and towards the front doors, and White feels like he always did before now- speechless and unsure, having a million things to share but unsure of how to say any of them.

"Hey, Pink?" He asks, and she turns around, looking back at him.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

She smiles, turns around, and keeps walking, and White realizes, maybe for the first time in his life, that that's what love feels like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi  
> first off, i apologize for how long this took to come out. honestly i got wrapped up in a lot of other things, plus, ending this was... hard? to do, i suppose? but it's here now, woo!  
> thank you for all your patience, and more importantly, for all your support. i never could have anticipated how big this would become, and every single comment, kudos, bookmark, etc. means more to me than you all know.  
> with that being said, i hope you enjoyed this fic.  
> thank you. goodbye :')


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